Lost a bit in the hoopla of the Philadelphia Eagles trading quarterbacks this offseason was that the quarterback they acquired was coming off back-to-back major knee injuries.

It appears that Sam Bradford has had a successful rehab, however. Bradford, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the 2013 season and suffered another torn ACL in the preseason last year, practiced on Sunday when the Eagles opened camp. He "didn’t look hindered at all" according to Philly.com's Jeff McLane.

McLane also wrote that Bradford has ditched a bulky knee brace in favor of a sleeve. Bradford told reporters the big brace was too constricting. He looks to be on track to start the Eagles' preseason opener, on Aug. 16.

"I'm good to go. You guys might even see me pull one, run it up the middle," Bradford said, according to Philly.com.

The question will be if Bradford can stay healthy. He didn't last long in the preseason last year before re-injuring the knee, although he had a longer rehab time for his second ACL. Bradford is a former first overall pick, but injuries have set back his career. He finds himself in a system in which he could put up big numbers, as predecessor Nick Foles did in 2013, but to do so he'll need to stay healthy.

So far it looks good for Bradford's health. There will be a lot of eyes on him as he tries to get through the preseason without any setbacks.

Chip Kelly might be a bit crazy when it comes to personnel moves, but that doesn't make the Philadelphia Eagles coach a racist, no matter how hard people pitch that controversy.

Running back LeSean McCoy was first to insinuate Kelly was racist, likely because he was hurt he was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Former Eagles lineman Tra Thomas joined in the chorus for some reason. Now the comments of cornerback Brandon Boykin, after he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, are being put under the "is Kelly really a racist?" microscope. Ugh.

“He can't relate and that makes him uncomfortable,” Boykin added in the text message to Gunn. “He likes total control of everything, and he don't like to be uncomfortable. Players excel when you let them naturally be who they are, and in my experience that hasn't been important to him, but you guys have heard this before me.”

And immediately after the stories started coming that another player insinuated Kelly was racist. "Our culture" and "heard this before me" could be interpreted in different ways, but Boykin said Sunday that he wasn't saying Kelly was racist.

"When you're a player, you want to be able to relate to your coach off the field," Boykin told reporters Sunday, according to ESPN. "There were times he just didn't talk to people. You would walk down the hallway, he wouldn't say anything to you. I'm not saying he's a racist in any way."

Kelly signed running back DeMarco Murray, who is black, to a $42 million deal this offseason to replace McCoy. He signed cornerback Byron Maxwell, who is black, to a $63 million deal this offseason. He also signed running back Ryan Mathews,whose father is black, and cornerback Walter Thurmond, who is black. The Eagles made six draft picks last week, and the first five picks were black players. The Eagleshave seven black assistant coaches.

If Kelly is a racist, he's really, really bad at being racist considering he keeps giving black men great jobs and gobs of money. There's no doubt that Kelly marches to his own drummer when it comes to running the personnel department, but I don't think that gives anyone a right to casually accuse Kelly of being a racist. I don't think the Eagles cutting Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis, who is white, out of the blue this offseason was racially charged. Neither was trading Nick Foles or cutting guard Todd Herremans, who are also white. Kelly just isn't conventional and he isn't scared to make bold moves.

Kelly makes many moves that are easy to criticize, but it's really not getting us anywhere to wonder if Kelly is a racist every time he makes a controversial move that happens to involve a black player.

]]>Sun, 02 Aug 2015 12:04:55 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,694bdf76-8578-3266-abc9-4f91f3c1e1aa-l:1Hall of Fame profile: Kansas City Chiefs G Will Shieldshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/hall-of-fame-profile--chiefs-g-will-shields-065859278.html
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2015 gets inducted on Saturday. Shutdown Corner will profile the eight new Hall of Famers over the next week looking at each of their careers and their impact on the game.

Will Shields Kansas City Chiefs, 1993-2006 Guard

Greatest moment

Shields will forever be known as a Chief, with his dedication to the team for 14 years, and among one of the best guards to ever play. He started 223 consecutive games and went to 12 Pro Bowls.

In a career highlighted by paving routes for running backs, perhaps his best feat is helping anchor a line that in 1994 yielded 19 sacks, a team record for fewest in a season. That year was Joe Montana's final season in the NFL.

Impact on the game

Shields was the third-round, 74th overall pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1993 draft. His first start was the second game of that season, Sept. 12 against the Houston Oilers. In that rookie season, Shields made an immediate impact, leading the Chiefs to their first division title since 1971. He would become a bedrock in the Chiefs' starting lineup.

During Shields' career, the Chiefs won four division titles and made six playoff appearances, including the AFC championship game in the 1993 season. Shields made the Pro Bowl following his 1995 season, the first of 12 straight Pro Bowl appearances.

Shields was recognized as first-team All-Pro in 1999, 2002 and 2003. Shields was a driving force offensively for a Chiefs team that led the entire NFL in total yards in 2004 and 2005.

While Shields is known for his relentless grit on the football field, his impact on the game goes much further. As a rookie, Shields and his wife Senia started "Will to Succeed Foundation," an organization that aims to improve the lives of women and children. In 2003 Shields won the Walter Payton Man of the Year honor.

Case against his bust in Canton

Shields' career is often highlighted with his commitment to people and different communities off the field. While noble, this isn't a qualification for the Hall of Fame. The Chiefs never reached a Super Bowl with Shields.

Case for his bust in Canton

Besides never missing a game in 14 seasons, he made everyone around him better. Shields helped pave the way for running backs like Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes (three straight 1,400 yard seasons) and Larry Johnson (back-to-back 1,700-yard campaigns).

Notable quote

"Will was such a technician. He was so intelligent and did everything right. As important as anything, he was rarely hurt. If he was banged up, it never affected his play. He was that steady, that strong, that dedicated." – Trev Alberts, former teammate of Shields at Nebraska

There are many, many problems with the way the NFL handled deflate-gate, and one is pretty basic: The league never cared about the air pressure of footballs before hammering the New England Patriots.

That was clear from the Wells report, when it came to light that the Indianapolis Colts told the NFL before the AFC championship game that they were concerned about the Patriots deflating footballs, and the NFL did absolutely nothing about it until it was brought to their attention again in the first half. If the inflation level of footballs was Absolutely Crucial To The Integrity Of The Game, they'd have done something other than shrug once they were notified.

And the NFL doesn't even really know how and if their footballs can deflate. In explaining the new procedures for marking air pressure of balls before a game (again, if this was The Biggest Deal In NFL History, the league wouldn't have waited 95 seasons to implement this procedure), Central Region supervisor of officials Gary Slaughter said footballs could have a slow leak and officials wouldn't know, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly.

"These are man-made products,” Slaughter said, according to the Tribune-Review. “There is a bladder and a valve. We have all checked them for many years. Sometimes when you check the ball in the locker room right out of the box, there could be a problem. They could have a slow leak, and you wouldn't even know it at the time.”

None of this is too mind-blowing, because it's clear the NFL knew practically nothing about footballs and their inflation levels before turning deflate-gate into the modern day Black Sox scandal. That an NFL supervisor of officials acknowledges that footballs are subject to losing air because they're "man-made products" lets you know there are other unanswered questions. How do footballs react in cold weather? Do some leak? Do some lose pressure normally during a game? These are all interesting questions that have never been looked at before. That didn't stop the NFL from deciding which evidence fit their punishment and hammering Tom Brady and the Patriots, but I'm sure the league will learn some of those answers now that they actually care enough about the issue to have a procedure in place to check it.

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 7: BALTIMORE RAVENS

In this offseason of regret, most of the focus has been on the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, who blew playoff games in heartbreaking fashion. But don't forget about the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens didn't flub an onside kick or throw an interception when they should have been running from the 1-yard line, but that doesn't lessen their pain. Twice they held a 14-point lead over the New England Patriots in a divisional playoff game. The Patriots played incredible football down the stretch to barely pull off the win. Two games later, the Patriots won a Super Bowl.

The Ravens had to feel like that could have easily been them on the stage accepting another Lombardi Trophy.

The Ravens are one of those teams who you can pencil in to be somewhere in the range of good to great every season. Since winning the Super Bowl in 2000, the Ravens have had just three losing seasons, and the last one was 2007. Coach John Harbaugh has never finished under .500 in his seven seasons. They've been to the playoffs six of the last seven years, and won a Super Bowl in that stretch. And you can assume they'll be contenders again this season.

The Ravens lost some key players this offseason, but the biggest change came at offensive coordinator. Gary Kubiak did an exceptional job last season, re-inventing the Ravens offense with his work in the running game. Kubiak is a master at implementing the zone running scheme, and behind that Justin Forsett went from being a journeyman to one of the best running backs in football. Forsett had 1,692 yards in his first six NFL seasons. He had 1,266 in his seventh season, with Kubiak. Kubiak became the Denver Broncos head coach this offseason.

Marc Trestman, the fired Chicago Bears head coach, takes over. He has vowed to not change the offense, and that's probably a smart thing. Flacco had a career-best 91 rating last season. Forsett was fifth in the NFL in rushing yards. Put that with a very strong defense and typically good special teams, and the Ravens are among the small group of teams who should realistically believe they can win a Super Bowl.

It wouldn't surprise anyone if the Ravens did make it to the Super Bowl. You already know that under Harbaugh, they're going to be in the mix.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Ravens lost seven games, including playoffs, and five of those were by a touchdown or less.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? It's not better since the Ravens were quiet in free agency. Torrey Smith isn't an all-around receiver, but his deep ability will be missed. Outside linebacker Pernell McPhee was never a full-time player because the Ravens are so deep, but the $40 million he got from the Chicago Bears speaks to his talent level. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was traded to the Detroit Lions to shave some salary. Safety Kendrick Lewis was a solid free-agent addition, and perhaps first- and second-round picks receiver Breshad Perriman and tight end Maxx Williams help the offense right away. The roster is worse, but the Ravens had the depth to withstand it.

Best offseason acquisition: I'm pretty high on Perriman, who I think can develop into a more well-rounded version of Smith if he eliminates the drops from his game. Perriman is big, lightning fast, and some of his production issues last season at UCF can be explained away by poor quarterback play. And it's not like his 50-1,044-9 line was all that bad. Steve Smith can't be productive forever (right?) and Perriman might quickly find himself as Joe Flacco's top target. It wouldn't surprise me if he's the rare rookie to post a 1,000-yard season. I think the Ravens got a steal with the 26th overall pick.

Achilles' heel: There aren't many glaring weaknesses on the roster, but depth at cornerback has been a concern lately. Jimmy Smith is a good No. 1 cornerback, but is coming off a season-ending Lisfranc injury in his foot. The Ravens don't seem to be worried because they gave him a four-year, $48 million extension this offseason. Lardarius Webb can be a good second corner if he stays healthy. The Ravens added Kyle Arrington and Cassius Vaughn, which should help depth. The Ravens gave up the 23rd most yards against the pass last season, the 17th most yards per pass attempt and had just 11 interceptions. There's a reason Tom Brady passed 50 times in that playoff comeback, and why he had 367 yards and three touchdowns. On an otherwise solid team, the Ravens aren't great against the pass.

Position in flux: There has to be some concern that Forsett is a one-year wonder. He played very well from beginning to end last season, but nothing in his NFL history suggests that's his norm. He'll turn 30 this year and nearly doubled his career high in carries last season. If Forsett struggles or gets hurt, the Ravens have some questions. Lorenzo Taliaferro seems to be next in line after averaging 4.3 yards on 68 carries as a rookie last year. Javorius "Buck" Allen, a fourth-round pick this year, might help. The Ravens will have to figure out their backup plan for Forsett, and hope they never need to use it.

Ready to break out: It's more of a question than a prediction: Can one of the Ravens' young strong safeties be a star? Matt Elam was a first-round pick in 2013 but hasn't played to that level. He also suffered an arm injury on Aug. 1 in practice that could knock him out a while, and perhaps for the season if he tore his biceps. Will Hill has flashed legitimate NFL talent, but has to show he's reliable after so many off-field issues caused the Giants to cut him. Both of those players have an excellent opportunity, and the Ravens hope at least one of them takes advantage.

Stat fact: In Football Outsiders' final 2014 ratings of their DVOA per-play metric, only one team finished in the top 10 in offense, defense, special teams and overall ranking: the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens finished ninth in offense, eighth in defense, second in special teams and fifth overall. That shows how well rounded the roster is.

Schedule degree of difficulty: In a bit of a scheduling quirk, the Ravens have five of their first seven games on the road, including long trips to Denver, Oakland, San Francisco and Arizona. But of course it all evens out, and if the Ravens survive that stretch then six of their last nine are at home, including a three-game homestand in December against Seattle, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: The Ravens will again be among the best teams in football, especially if Forsett repeats his 2014 and Perriman and Williams immediately help the passing game. The Ravens have won playoff games at New England and Denver in recent years, so it's not like a trip to either place in the postseason would bother them, if it comes to that. There's also a good chance the Ravens play well during that early stretch of road games and get the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: The AFC North is tough, and the Ravens didn't win it last year. If Smith slows down at age 36 (his four 100-yard games last regular season all came in the first six weeks) and Perriman and Williams aren't ready as rookies, who will Flacco throw to? And if the Ravens miss Kubiak's brilliance in the run game, the offense could take a big step back. The Ravens won't be bad, because they never are, but missing the playoffs would be tough to swallow.

The crystal ball says: The Ravens are so well run and well coached, it's folly to pick against them. They're a tough team on both sides of the ball. I wouldn't be surprised if they win the AFC North, but you can look at who has been listed so far on the countdown and figure out I like another North team a little better. I think the Ravens make the playoffs as a wild-card team and nobody will want to play them in January, as usual.

it has been a big week for the Seattle Seahawks on the contract front.

Team owner Paul Allen tweeted out the good news Saturday night: The Seahawks have signed linebacker Bobby Wagner to a four-year, $43 million contract that will keep one of their defensive pillars in place. The team could not afford to allow Wagner — a standout tackler, coverage player and, in many ways, the defensive heartbeat of this team — to walk away after this season.

Wagner wasn't upset that Wilson got his deal, and he made sure to make that point when he spoke to the media before his own contract extension was completed. But it's going to be very difficult to make everyone else in the building happy from here on out.

The Seahawks have done an excellent job to this point of locking up their core: safety Earl Thomas, cornerback Richard Sherman, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, linebackers K.J. Wright and Wagner, defensive end Cliff Avril, running back Marshawn Lynch, tight end Jimmy Graham and Wilson all are secured for the next several seasons. That's the outstanding news.

The flip side? Safety Kam Chancellor is holding out from training camp, defensive lineman Michael Bennett isn't happy with his current deal (and really hasn't been happy with it since about the moment the ink dried on it) and a few more key players are set to hit free agency after this season — left tackle Russell Okung, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, defensive end-linebacker Bruce Irvin, among others.

So, yeah, there will be collateral damage somewhere along the way. Someone isn't coming back after this season. More than likely more than one someone.

That's the glass-half-empty view, though. For a team that has been to the Super Bowl the past two seasons to keep as much of its core as the Seahawks have is impressive and testament to their front-office commitment to build and retain from within and also the actuarial genius of vice president of football administration Matt Thomas to make all the numbers work — and work brilliantly — to this point.

]]>Sun, 02 Aug 2015 07:29:02 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bbb39fc0-a73d-33f1-bdb1-be9d47d61b6b-l:1Sydney Seau will get chance to speak for father at Hall of Fame inductionhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/sydney-seau-will-get-chance-to-speak-for-father-at-hall-of-fame-induction-211926203.html
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has reversed field and allowed Sydney Seau to speak at the induction ceremony of her father, the late Junior Seau, after initially saying she could not, according to Fox Sports' Alex Marvez.

The Hall had passed a bylaw in 2010, which prohibited a substitute speaker, such as a family member, for a deceased player being enshrined. Former Los Angeles Rams inductee Les Richter was the first posthumous member to be elected, and his family did not speak on his behalf — something they were fine with.

But Seau had asked for Sydney, his only daughter, to be his presenter should he ever make the Hall of Fame. Seau died at the age of 43 in 2012 of a self-inflicted gun wound, and the initial suspicion once it was made public that Sydney would not step in for her father in the traditional speaking role was that the NFL nixed it for fear that she would discuss his concussion-plagued career or the CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) he was found to have when postmortem studies were performed on his brain.

The Aug. 8 ceremony in Canton, Ohio, will include Sydney taking part in an on-stage interview after the unveiling of Seau's bust, and Sydney and Seau's three sons will be the ones doing the unveiling, which is typically done only by the enshrinee and the presenter.

The Hall also will include the standard video presentation for Seau, but at 6 1/2 minutes, the highlight video of Seau's 20-year NFL career and comments from Sydney is more than double the typical length. Sydney also will take part in the Thursday night "Gold Jacket" ceremony, the first major event of induction week, and will speak during the NFL Network broadcast.

This was the only call for the Hall. Backlash reached uproar level, and both the Hall and the NFL — intentionally or not — were looking bad in the process. Although the rules weren't completely bent on this issue, it's clear that that Hall had to go above and beyond to make right of this situation.

There's a great chance that Sydney will be the star of the induction ceremony and that she will do a tremendous job of representing her father, which is why he wanted her to speak for him years ago.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 gets inducted on Aug. 8. Shutdown Corner will profile the eight new Hall of Famers, looking at each of their careers and their impact on the game.

Mick Tingelhoff Minnesota Vikings (1962-1978) Center

Greatest moment

Tingelhoff signed with the Vikings as a free agent after a distinguished career at the University of Nebraska at center. Tingelhoff won the starting job at center during his rookie year and never gave it up until he retired – 17 years later.

Perhaps Tingelhoff's greatest trait was his durability, never missing a game in a career that had 240 of them. He anchored a line that protected NFL legend Fran Tarkenton, allowing the famed quarterback to, at the time, set the all-time record for passing yards. He was also a great run blocker, paving the way for Chuck Foreman to string together three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between 1975 and 1977.

Tingelhoff was routinely tasked with stopping the game’s best middle linebackers. And there were plenty of games where he protected the quarterback with relative ease, as well as provided effective blocking for his running backs. One game of note was the Vikings’ 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in 1965. Tingelhoff allowed only one sack during the game while protecting Tarkenton as he passed for 407 yards and three touchdowns. Tingelhoff also helped the running backs gain 154 on the ground and three touchdowns.

Impact on the game

Tingelhoff is widely considered the best center of his era. He helped lead the Vikings to 10 division titles in an 11-year span. He also guided the Vikings to victory in four out of five NFC championship games. He was named to six consecutive Pro Bowls, as well as seven consecutive All-Pro/NFL teams.

Case against his bust in Canton

In an age when players are more liked and respected for their ability to create highlight-reel moments, Tingelhoff, a center, isn't the most obvious choice. He never made eye-popping blocks. He never picked up defenders and slammed them into the turf. Also, the fact that the Vikings made it to four Super Bowls, yet never emerged victorious is a sticking point for some voters.

Case for his bust in Canton

The most durable offensive linemen are the ones who become Hall of Famers. And if anyone was Mr. Durability, it was Mick Tingelhoff. And it wasn't like he never got injured. He just played through everything.

He rarely made mistakes on the field, and for a position solely judged on its ability to protect, Tingelhoff never wavered from that.

Memorable quote

"Mick may have had one bad snap in 17 years of football. And that includes snapping on field goals and extra points. His consistency was almost unbelievable." – Teammate Ron Yary at Tingelhoff's jersey retirement ceremony in 2001.

A Cowboys fan set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to fly a banner over Eagles practice on Aug. 9 that read “WE GOT THE DIVISION” according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. That was in response to a rumor that Eagles fans planned to fly a banner over Cowboys practice reading "WE GOT DEMARCO," as in former Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, who joined Philadelphia this offseason.

And the Cowboys fans got a pretty nice donation after asking Hardy if he wanted to kick in. Hardy's Twitter handle is said to be @OverlordKraken, though he hasn't gotten it verified. He gave $300 and posted a picture of the verification.

And according to the page, to thank Hardy they will take his suggestion and the banner will read: “WE STILL DEM BOYZ! #SACKSCOMIN!”

The fans needed $1,350, and more than $2,800 had been donated by Saturday afternoon. The organizers said on the page that the extra funds will be donated to Children's Medical Center in Plano, Texas.

Hardy won't be playing in Dallas' first game against Philadelphia, which is in Week 2. He is suspended the first four games of the season due to a domestic violence incident last year. Hardy has been put off limits to the media by the Cowboys during camp (though he has talked some) so he has to find another way to get in good with the fans of his new team, who surely know all about his past.

Giving a few hundy to troll the Eagles will probably play pretty well in Dallas.

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 8: DALLAS COWBOYS

In a long-ago era, like maybe seven or eight years ago, we wouldn't be having this conversation about the Dallas Cowboys and their running backs.

The Dallas Cowboys would have re-signed DeMarco Murray, because running backs were not yet thought of as disposable quantities that you draft, use up and discard. In many ways, NFL teams have gotten smarter about investing resources in running backs. The return is often poor. But the Cowboys are taking that theory to the extreme.

The Cowboys reportedly made a good but not great offer to Murray, and Murray unsurprisingly walked. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. That isn't an insignificant loss. Murray was clearly the MVP of the Cowboys' 12-4 NFC East championship season in 2014.

The Cowboys are betting that anyone can have success running the ball in their offense, behind an elite line. And to make sure their point was being made loud and clear, Dallas did nothing to replace Murray. if the Cowboys were going to run this experiment, they were going all the way with it.

It's risky. The Cowboys found a great formula last year, and credit coach Jason Garrett for that. Behind the best offensive line in the NFL, the Cowboys rode Murray hard. They knew he could handle it. Murray rushed for 1,845 yards, the 17th highest total in NFL history and almost 500 yards ahead of second-place Le'Veon Bell (1,361). Tony Romo, freed from having to carry the offense, threw less and had the most efficient season of his career. He barely missed becoming the sixth player in NFL history to complete 70 percent of his passes, settling for 69.9 percent. Romo had a career-best 113.2 rating, by far exceeding his career mark. And the defense, which wasn't good in 2013, was on the field for only 978 plays. That was fifth fewest in the league, as Murray ate up yards and the clock. Dallas finished a respectable 14th in yards allowed.

It all worked together. The best front offices build teams that play complementary football, in which one strength feeds off another or sometimes hides a weakness. The Cowboys did that better than anyone last season. Murray was named NFL offensive player of the year. Romo had a career year. The defense played above its talent level. The Cowboys made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and won their second playoff game this century. It clicked. Now it changes. Jerry Jones and company will be second guessed for a long time if it doesn't work.

The theory has to be that last season was more about the offensive line than Murray, because the Cowboys' running back depth chart is surprisingly weak. Joseph Randle has 105 career carries for 507 yards, and he's by far Dallas' best option. Darren McFadden is hurt, and hasn't been a good back for a few years. Ryan Williams already went to injured reserve. Lance Dunbar is even less proven than Randle. Lache Seastrunk has been practice-squad fodder. The Cowboys didn't draft a running back. They didn't sign anyone of note either.

Maybe Randle is going to be phenomenal. Or maybe the Cowboys will miss their MVP more than they counted on, and last season can't be replicated. NFL Films' Greg Cosell likes to say that being a workhorse back is a skill, to have the mentality to want the ball 25 times a game and take that punishment. Randle has never had more than 13 carries in a game. Randle has reached double-digit carries four times in his career, and has averaged 2.54 yards in those games. If you have a strong opinion on Randle for this season, it's still just a guess. Nobody knows how he'll do in Murray's role. To assume Randle will produce just like Murray is probably ignoring what a special season Murray had.

The Cowboys had quite a renaissance last season — and even if you hate them, come on, admit it was fun that they were relevant again. But it's possible that although most of the cast looks exactly the same this season, the production as a whole will look a lot different without the 2014 headliner.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Cowboys had a fantastic season, winning a controversial playoff game against the Lions before losing a controversial playoff game against the Packers.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? I can't write that opus on how Murray's loss is being underrated and say the roster is better, right? I also like linebackers Bruce Carter and Justin Durant more than most, and they're gone. So is defensive tackle Henry Melton. I'm not sure any of those players were adequately replaced. Defensive end Greg Hardy was the big addition, and the Cowboys caught a break when his suspension was reduced from 10 games to four.

Best offseason acquisition: Let's leave the off-field stuff with Hardy aside, because it's not like you can't find many discussions on that topic elsewhere. The Cowboys didn't rush the quarterback that well last season, and now they add one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. In his last 32 games, Hardy has 27 sacks. He'll command a lot of attention and that could free things up for fellow end DeMarcus Lawrence, who we'll speak more about in a moment.

Achilles' heel: The Cowboys drafted cornerback Byron Jones in the first round, and they might need him to play a lot right away. Orlando Scandrick really has saved the Cowboys the last couple years by making a successful transition from nickel corner to full-time starter, but there are questions after him. Brandon Carr has been a disappointment. Former top-10 pick Morris Claiborne was looking like a bust and now faces a long road back after tearing his patellar tendon in his left knee last season. The Cowboys' cornerback situation is a bit scary if Jones struggles as a rookie.

Position in flux: On most other teams, La'el Collins would start as a rookie. But there's no spot for him in Dallas, at least not yet. Collins went from first-round talent to undrafted after the crazy and tragic story of his ex-girlfriend being shot and killed (Collins was cleared; Yahoo's Dan Wetzel caught up with Collins and recounted the entire unusual tale). Collins is still working with the second team at left guard, as 2014 starter Ronald Leary has kept his spot. It wouldn't be a surprise if Leary kept the spot all year, as he played really well last season. But Collins is worth keeping an eye on, in case he's needed as a rookie.

Ready to break out: I can't just pencil in Randle here; there are just too many doubts until I see him with a full workload. I'll play it safe and go with Lawrence, who finished last season with a bang. Lawrence, a second-round pick last year, missed half the season because of injuries. Then he had a strip-sack to end the playoff game against the Lions, and another sack a week later against the Packers. You'd assume once Hardy returns and eats up attention, Lawrence will benefit. He should have a nice second season.

Stat fact: Dez Bryant is fourth in Cowboys history with 56 touchdowns catches in just 75 games. Everyone ahead of Bryant on the list played at least 53 more games. Bob Hayes is the leader with 71 receiving touchdowns in 128 games, so Bryant has about three-and-a-half seasons to get 15 touchdowns to match Hayes, a Hall of Famer. Fellow Hall of Famer Michael Irvin had nine more career touchdowns than Bryant has now, in 84 more games.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The Cowboys don't have it too bad, and they catch a big break getting the Patriots at home on the last game of Tom Brady's suspension. Dallas has the 24th toughest schedule, based on 2014 records.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: A Super Bowl win. How often have Cowboys fans wondered if they could have been last season's Super Bowl champions had Dez Bryant's fourth-down play at Lambeau Field been ruled a catch? Considering they were that close last year, if the Cowboys are right on their gamble that any back can run behind that offensive line there's no reason Dallas should have any other goal.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: It's worth mentioning that a year ago the Cowboys were known as the NFL's 8-8 team after going .500 three straight years. They did a great job building a powerhouse team around Murray, but now Murray is gone. If Randle isn't a good lead back, I'm not sure what the Cowboys are going to do. Then maybe more goes on Romo's shoulders and it'll be harder to hide the defense, and a step back to Mediocreville is in the cards.

The crystal ball says: The Cowboys have a solid foundation on offense. The defense isn't great but coordinator Rod Marinelli is a very good coach and he did a great job last year. Linebacker Sean Lee's return from injury won't hurt either. The Eagles and Cowboys should have a spirited battle for the NFC East, and I'll pick the Cowboys edge them. I do think the Cowboys won't be quite as good without Murray, and I don't believe they get a playoff bye or win a conference title with the Seahawks and Packers in line ahead of them.

]]>Sat, 01 Aug 2015 09:44:06 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,6b52facc-0587-373a-997a-a9796c1c4631-l:1Patriots release damning emails from NFL on leaks of false deflate-gate datahttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/patriots-release-damning-emails-from-nfl-on-leaks-of-false-deflate-gate-data-232214697.html
The New England Patriots played a trump card on Friday, releasing a string of emails (on their wellsreportcontext.com site) between club counsel Robyn Glaser and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash that appears to implicate the league of failing to correct blatant misinformation that helped shape the public narrative in the deflate-gate case.

Pash oversaw the investigation by Ted Wells, whose report clearly indicated that the PSI figures for the Patriots' footballs in the AFC championship were nowhere close to the bunk ESPN report that 11 of 12 balls tested by officials that night were 2 PSI or more under the legal limit.

The NFL never set that record straight thereafter, and it was too late. The public already had decided that Tom Brady was a cheater — and a blatant one. By the time Wells' report came out, perception already had become reality, and minds were made.

The Patriots — as owner Robert Kraft pointed out in a blistering takedown of the league and Roger Goodell — asked for the data, as the email chain showed, but were not assisted. Team spokesman Stacey James emailed league spokesman Greg Aiello on the matter, and it was later forwarded by Glaser to Pash.

James wrote:

“I cannot comprehend how withholding the range of PSIs measured in the game is beneficial to the NFL or the Patriots. I can only assume, based on the scientific evidence that has been provided to us by multiple independent scientists that the PSI numbers will be within the scientific range. If we had been provided this data within days of the original report, we could have changed the narrative of this story before it led all national news and the damage was done. It has been over 4 weeks and we still can’t get a simple detail that I assume was available the night of the AFC Championship Game!”

Glaser concluded that the league was the only possible source to ESPN's Chris Mortensen on the phony PSI numbers. Pash disagreed, saying:

“I have no reason to think [the leak to ESPN] came from our office but I certainly do not condone leaks which I do not serve [sic] anyone’s interest.”

Glaser said the team had cooperated with Wells' investigation fully but that they were doubting the wisdom of that following the leaks.

“We have cooperated fully and expediently with Attorney Wells and are now seriously starting to question whether we should do that while our public image and brand continues to be unnecessarily and irreparably tarnished by the League,” Glaser wrote.

She then asked Pash to “to bring your staff and office under control,” later calling Pash's response “pretty disingenuous." Yes, folks, this is how the sausage is made.

This is when it starts to get nasty.

“Jeff, you need to step up,” Glaser wrote. “I can’t tell you the number of times you’ve told me that you and your office work for us member clubs. It has been made resoundingly clear to us that your words are just a front. They have no substance at all. If you worked for us, you would already have released today a statement to the effect of, ESPN, you’ve got it wrong. You do not have full information, you are irresponsibly reporting information that is untrue and you need to stop. Furthermore, as you now know and report reporting yourselves, your original story that 11 of 12 balls were 2 pounds below the minimum allowable psi was just blatantly wrong, we know that because we have the information and here it is…"

Pash seems nonplussed, writing back in a short note that he doesn't know "how to respond to so personal and accusatory a note" and ends it shortly afterward.

It's a bad look for the league, as Goodell has said that Wells had the chance to evaluate the leaked information as part of his investigation, but these emails seem to suggest otherwise. But will these emails be the bombshell that, say, Mortensen's report or the NFL's suggestion that Brady destroyed his cell phone as a method of concealment?

Quite frankly, no. Most likely, this could convince the handful of people still straddling the fence on the story and harden the beliefs of Brady and Patriots supporters or the anti-Goodell faction. But it's not the kind of "smoking gun" type of goodies — true or not — that the league expertly has dropped on the public in staying one or two steps ahead in shaping public perception.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning dropped back, the pass rush got in his face in a hurry, but he still got the ball out.

Without any time or space to set up, he still got enough on the pass to get it to receiver Cody Latimer right after Latimer turned on his out route. There wasn't a ton of velocity on it, but Manning knew exactly where and when to go with the ball. It wasn't a play made based on physical ability, but smarts and anticipation. Just another completion.

In other words, Manning looked exactly like he has since he got to Denver. He was sharp the whole practice.

"He looked great to me," Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas said.

Broncos camp opened on Friday with a light practice, and everything revolves around Manning. And, more specifically and humorously enough, all the talk about Manning is about how much less we might see of him with the Broncos this season.

You can't go far in Denver without hearing that Manning will throw less and hand off more after he faded late last season, and how Manning might fit in coach Gary Kubiak's offense that generally employs a lot of outside zone running and quarterbcks moving off it.

"I feel that I throw pretty well on the run, to tell you the truth," Manning said. "I actually think I throw pretty well on the run for a guy that doesn't really run well.I actually throw well on the run, maybe even better than some guys that actually run well."

Perhaps, but it's a shift. Not that it matters what a team works on during its first training camp practice, especially when the team is not even in pads yet, but it was easy to notice the Broncos ran a lot of stretch run plays. Like, a ton of them.

"More work. A lot more work. A lot more reps," running back C.J. Anderson said.

Maybe Manning throws well on the move, but he looks a little awkward moving at age 39. The 40-yard dash has never been his game. On one handoff attempt he tripped coming out from under center, did a faceplant and slapped his hands in frustration ("I still got the handoff," he added later). It's going to take a while to get used to being under center again. Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com said the Broncos ran 71.7 percent of their plays the last two seasons from the shotgun or pistol. When Kubiak was the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator last year, Mason wrote that nearly 78 percent of the Ravens' plays were from under center.

Manning spent nearly the entire first practice on Friday under center. There are many more differences this season in Denver than just if the quarterback is in shotgun or under center — this offense is a seismic shift from the previous way.

"It's night and day, totally different," Thomas said. "We'll go two tights most of the time. We went three, four wide most of the time [before]. This is what we have to deal with, and make it work. We won't be looking to throw the ball every play. There's nothing wrong with that. They say teams with a run game win Super Bowls, and that's what we're trying to do."

It's hard to believe Manning won't have some fingerprints on the offense too, considering he's probably the best quarterback in the NFL at adjusting at the line of scrimmage. Kubiak said Manning will have plenty of ability to audible at the line, because that's a strength he has. But this will all be within the framework of a much different system.

The differences could give new life to Manning's career, though he didn't really open up about that much after practice. He didn't seem to thing the new offense was all that big of a deal.

"Coach Kubiak said it last night: It's football," Manning said. "There are not that many new plays out there. However you call them or whatever that is, it's not that big of a deal. It's about executing them."

He also didn't make a big deal about another big topic of conversation around Denver, of how Kubiak will ease off Manning in practice a bit to keep him fresh.

"He’s doing that with a number of players. I’m fine with that," is all Manning said about the issue.

In some ways it might have been easier for general manager John Elway to just stick with the status quo, to hire a new coach who had a philosophy that mirrored what Manning has done so well the last three years. But Elway wanted Kubiak, his old teammate and later in Elway's career, his offensive coordinator. You don't base a coaching decision on what suits a 39-year-old quarterback who may be entering his final season. It could be a brilliant idea or one that makes Manning look really out of place in the last year or two of a great career.

Maybe, if it all goes perfectly, Manning is just as good late in the season as he looks at the end of July. He did have a 112 rating through the first half of last season. He should still have something left. It's Kubiak's job to get the most out of him.

"(Kubiak) wants the team playing fast, playing physical and competing all the way. If you're not competing, you're probably not going to be around," Manning said. "We want to get off to a good start but we want to be able to certainly finish and be playing as well late in the season."

Even if you’re in the a-guy-with-nine-fingers-can-still-play-football camp, you might want to reconsider the idea when you see the latest pictures of Jason Pierre-Paul.

The New York Daily News landed the photo scoop of JPP’s damaged right hand, the result of a July 4 fireworks accident, and it certainly doesn’t give you the warm fuzzies about his ability to play anytime soon, much less effectively.

The franchise defensive end’s thoroughly wrapped right hand and arm supported by a sling (what’s that all about?) certainly change the narrative a bit. What's underneath that wrap? How bad is it exactly?

A day after New York Giants owner John Mara surreally admitted that he had no idea how many fingers his unsigned player had, we know why: there are a few pounds of Ace wrap covering up the hand in question.

Throw in the fact that JPP has been on radio silence with the team, not even allowing head trainer Ronnie Barnes or Jesse Armstead to visit him in his Florida hospital room after the accident, and the mystery continues with the NFL’s weirdest offseason story (sorry, deflate-gate — you’re more annoying that weird, tbh).

What happens now? Do the Giants get to unfurl that bandage or get to review his medical records? Will Pierre-Paul talk to them anytime soon? No one has much of a clue.

All we have is a still-silent defensive end with an unknown number of digits and no clear path to a resolution in his contract — or playing — status.

]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:09:32 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,973f36c0-cac0-3fed-98ac-e472b72a574f-l:1Redskins gamble on Junior Galette with big character risk, small price taghttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/redskins-gamble-on-junior-galette-with-big-character-risk--small-cost-185137593.html
The Washington Redskins are taking a risk in signing troubled Junior Galette, who landed a one-year deal with the team, even though the reward could be significant.

Galette was cut by the New Orleans Saints less than a year after he landed a massive contract extension from the team and was named one of its captains. Off-field issues, including a domestic violence arrest and a disturbing video from 2013 surfacing of Galette hitting a woman with a belt, proved too much for the Saints, who took a massive salary-cap hit before cutting him last week.

The one-year deal, according to Galette's agent, is for the league minimum. That spells out how scared other teams were for a player who notched 22 sacks the past two seasons combined.

Galette fits the mold of what McCloughan wants in Washington, with size and aggression, even if it would appear to run anathema to the locker-room cleansing he has tried to accomplish since taking over Redskins personnel in January.

If he can stay in line, Galette joins an outside linebacker group that the team has invested heavily in. Former first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan leads the unit, and he landed a five-year, $57.5 million deal this week. Former second-round picks Trent Murphy (2014) and Preston Smith (2015) can play on their feet and had good college sack production but might be better as run stoppers.

Galette might be counted on to be only a pass-rush specialist if he makes the roster, and it makes sense why they'd want to add him — the Redskins have finished tied for 21st, 21st and 23rd, respectively, the past three seasons in sacks. But Galette first might have to hear from the NFL, which could hand down a stiff suspension for possible violation of the league's personal conduct rules.

On this surface, this transaction might reek of a Daniel Snyder-stamped move, trumping talent over character, and it's possible the Redskins owner whispered in McCloughan's ear about Galette. But the low investment the team made in him might suggest that they could cut bait the second they feel Galette isn't willing to change after a well-documented, tumultous background that stems back to his first college stop at Temple.

If Galette proves to be a good soldier, the Redskins might receive some incredible return on their limited investment. If not, he might be sent packing and questions of what might have been will be a sad chapter of a once-promising career.

One theme of deflate-gate has been that everything has dragged on too long. The investigation took months, Roger Goodell took five weeks to rule on Tom Brady's appeal, and now we're almost to August and the NFL and NFLPA are going to court.

Both sides finally agree on something: This needs to get resolved by the time the regular season starts.

According to the Boston Herald, Brady's NFLPA-appointed lawyer Jeffrey Kessler wrote a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman asking him to resolve the case by Sept. 4. The Patriots start the season on Sept. 10. Brady is fighting a four-game suspension in the deflate-gate scandal that was upheld by Goodell on Tuesday.

The Herald's story said that Brady won't look for an injunction, which might have allowed him to play while the legal battle plays out if it was granted. Instead, he, the union and the league just want it done.

“[T]he parties met and conferred and have agreed that a final resolution of this matter prior to the commencement of the 2015 NFL regular season would be in everyone’s best interest,” Kessler wrote, according to the Herald.

If the sides can get a quick resolution, it avoids the mess and injunction might have caused. There was concern that if the injunction was granted and the case was resolved late in the calendar year, Brady might have missed late-season or postseason games. It doesn't sound like that will be an issue.

After a lot of posturing and waiting, the deflate-gate controversy that started shortly after the AFC championship game in January might get settled in the next month or so. Thank goodness for that.

Winston was the first pick in the NFL draft, and the Buccaneers' only other quarterbacks on the roster are Mike Glennon (whom the Bucs have dangled in trade talks in the past) and the aforementioned Lobato, he of the zero career pass attempts.

Smith said he wouldn't have made this move — especially this soon — if he didn't think Winston was ready. The early reports are that Winston has done everything he needs to, preparation-wise, and that he's winning over his teammates to date, which would back up Smith's quick decision.

"I would never put a guy in that position if he wasn't ready for that," Smith said. "A lot has been said about Jameis and mentors. Jameis doesn't need a mentor. Jameis is ready to take the reins and go with it."

]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 10:31:54 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,d3bbd2ef-59dc-3c62-ab20-909a8ed0312a-l:1Brandon Graham says Tim Tebow will not only make Eagles but play a lothttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/brandon-graham-says-tim-tebow-will-not-only-make-eagles-but-play-a-lot-164155812.html
Why hasn't there been more Tim Tebow talk this offseason? We're kidding — sort of.

On the one hand, Tebow always will generate buzz, and it reached the point of exhaustion before. But on the other, it has been a bit tame all things considered, especially since Tebow is on a team coached by Chip Kelly with a teammate named Mark Sanchez.

Perhaps the tame Tebow talk is because people are suspicious — they simply don't think he'll make the roster, similar to how he was cut by the New England Patriots after the 2013 preseason.

But you might want to consider the words of Brandon Graham, Tebow's Eagles teammate, who says you might want to recalibrate your expectations for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

"Tim Tebow is going to shock a lot of people, because he is going to make the team," Graham said on WGPR 107.5 FM. "And I think he will play a lot."

Well, now. Gamechanger? Not yet — Tebow still has to prove it. The QB law firm of Sam Bradford, Sanchez and Tebow doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but these are two Heisman winners and three former first-round picks we are talking about, all in their late 20s.

But Kelly has a lot to sort out, namely the health of Bradford, who is coming off a torn ACL and a history of injuries that have derailed his career.

Could Tebow carve out a role as a red-zone threat, a one-series-a-game contributor or — yeah, we're going there — an eventual starter? We'll hit the pause button for a minute here, but it's hard not to like Tebow's chances of making the roster after a very strong endorsement from Graham.

Late in Super Bowl XXXI, Wolf was shown on the television broadcast and on the video board at the Louisiana Superdome, and gave an emphatic thumbs up as Packers fans cheered. That was the moment when all of Wolf's work with the Packers came to fruition.

Wolf arrived to an absolute mess in Green Bay. The Packers won just one playoff game from 1968-1991, and that win was in the strike-shortened season and tournament of 1982. It was a terrible organization. Then Wolf built a champion.

He traded for Brett Favre. He signed Reggie White. He drafted players like Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Mark Chmura and Dorsey Levens in the late and middle rounds. Wolf acquired just about every player who was part of a dominant champion that led the NFL in points scored and points allowed. He brought the Lombardi Trophy back to long-suffering Green Bay.

When Favre was inducted into the Packers' Hall of Fame this summer, he asked the crowd to look around the renovated Lambeau Field and its lush atrium, the fruit of the Packers' extended success the past two-plus decades. Favre said none of that would have happened without Wolf. He might have been right.

Impact on the game

Wolf is an interesting case because without one trade he's not going to the Hall of Fame. It's one of the most famous trades in NFL history. And it took a lot of guts to pull it off.

Wolf traded a first-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Favre, a second-round pick who was 0-for-4 with two interceptions as a rookie with the Falcons. Wolf never cared what anyone else thought, but imagine the heat he would have taken in today's instant reaction age. A first-round pick for last year's second-round pick who didn't even complete a pass? But Wolf thought Favre was the best player in the 1991 draft. He couldn't believe how well Favre threw the ball. He was right.

Think about how NFL history is different if the Packers stuck with Don Majkowski because they wouldn't give up a first-rounder for Favre. The Packers likely don't win a Super Bowl in the 1990s. White might have signed elsewhere. Green Bay might still be the same terrible franchise it was before Wolf got there. And Wolf wouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.

Case against his bust in Canton

It's always tough to make a great case for a contributor. And while Wolf was a great personnel man for a long time, pulled off one of the greatest trades in NFL history and brought a title to Green Bay, he didn't necessarily re-invent how the NFL does business. And for as good as his Packers were, they won just one Super Bowl. Does he deserve to get in while other great players (cough, Terrell Davis, cough) haven't made it?

Case for his bust in Canton

Wolf was one of the best personnel men in the game for nearly four decades. His career is impressive, and his work with those Packers of the 1990s was what pushes him over the top. He put on a clinic on how to build a championship team his first few years there.

Notable quote

“Brett Favre changed the whole complex of the Green Bay Packers. When I got to the Packers, the Packers were not very well thought of. That’s not the case today.” - Wolf, via Packers.com.

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 9: MIAMI DOLPHINS

If you don't think of the Miami Dolphins as one of the NFL's sad-sack franchises this century, maybe you should start.

On Dec. 30, 2000, the Dolphins beat the Indianapolis Colts in overtime of a wild-card playoff game. And that's it. That's their last playoff win. They've played in three postseason games since then and lost all three by a combined score of 74-12.

That's what makes it so hard to say this: I believe in the 2015 Dolphins.

The Dolphins have won the offseason before, most notably during former general manager Jeff Ireland's #YOLO offseason when he was trying to save his job and made crazy moves like making Mike Wallace the second-highest paid receiver in the NFL. But the Ndamukong Suh thing seems real. Landing the prize of free agency (I'm fine if you think he was second to Darrelle Revis) will make the entire defense better. Suh was a major reason nobody ran on last year's Detroit Lions. He is such a force in the middle. He commands attention and the rest of the Dolphins will benefit. Miami was tied for ninth in most rushing yards allowed per carry last season. That will change.

The offense will be better too. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's development has strangely been overlooked. He has improved in just about every key stat in each of the last two seasons, after a decent rookie year. His accuracy is better. His yards per attempt grew last year. His rating has gone from 76.1 to 81.7 to 92.8. He threw for 4,045 yards and 27 touchdowns last year. It seems like 3/4 of the league is hurting at quarterback or planning the retirement party of the quarterback they have. Tannehill just turned 27 on July 27 and the arrow is pointing up. He'll be better in his second year running coordinator Bill Lazor's Eagles-style offense.

Tannehill will be better with this group of receivers, as well. Jordan Cameron is a nice tight end when healthy. Deep threat Kenny Stills comes from New Orleans and hopefully Tannehill has better deep chemistry with him than he did with Wallace. The Dolphins drafted DeVante Parker in the first round. Jarvis Landry will sneak up on some folks in his second season. Landry is a really good player and it wouldn't be a surprise if he caught 100 passes. Wallace is gone, but that seems like addition by subtraction. The run game is pretty good too, with 1,000-yard starter Lamar Miller being backed up by Jay Ajayi, assuming the intriguing rookie wins the No. 2 job. And elite left tackle Branden Albert returns after losing seven games due to a season-ending knee injury last year.

The Dolphins' recent history is worrisome. I'm not sure Joe Philbin can properly manage a season, considering his last two teams have each faded a bit in the end. The roster has some holes that I don't know how they'll address at this point. But I'm in. These Dolphins are going to the playoffs, and might be good enough to make some serious noise once they get there.

2014 review in less than 25 words: They started with a win against the Patriots and finished with a home loss to the Jets. They've been 8-8 two years straight.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? It's better, of course, though some very good veterans left, like defensive linemen Jared Odrick and Randy Starks, and tight end Charles Clay. It's just that they replaced most of the pieces they lost. Before we get to more on the big fella, don't forget guys like cornerback Brice McCain, receiver Greg Jennings and defensive tackles C.J. Mosley and Earl Mitchell, who help the depth.

Best offseason acquisition: Hope you didn't expect this to be Josh Freeman. The Dolphins worked out a deal with Suh during the negotiating period (technically illegal, but the league was too busy looking into deflated footballs to care) for $60 million guaranteed. Will this six-year, $114 million deal come back and bite Miami down the road? Perhaps. Probably. But for this year Suh makes the Dolphins defense, ranked 21st in yards allowed last season, instantly better.

Achilles' heel: The offensive line isn't inspiring. If Albert returns to full health, that calms things down a bit. So should Mike Pouncey moving from guard back to his natural center position. Both guard spots are a real issue, so much so that fourth-round rookie Jamil Douglas has a chance to start at one of them. Ja'Wuan James, last year's first-round pick, needs to play much better at right tackle in Year 2, as well. When people bang on Tannehill for not being a great deep passer, they rarely mention that part of the reason is he has played behind a horrible line much of his career.

Position in flux: If you could combine Jennings, Still and Parker into one player, you'd have a mighty fine No. 1 outside receiver to go with Landry in the slot. Too bad it doesn't work that way, because what you get is a situation that needs to sort itself out. Jennings didn't get a lot of attention in free agency as he gets set to turn 32. Stills is a great deep threat, with a quarterback who despite his physical skills has not been great throwing the deep ball in his career. Then you have Parker, a rookie who had foot surgery this offseason. Parker's initial timetable had him back for the season opener, but it's tough to count too much on a rookie who is going to miss so much practice time.

Ready to break out: I'd have to say Landry, who proved last year that he can be a nice weapon for Tannehill. Landry averaged only 9 yards per catch, but he grabbed 84 balls and he'll be a high-volume guy again. I assume he'll eat up more yards too, because the talent is there.

Stat fact: The Dolphins went from 27th in yards and 26th in points in 2013 to 14th in yards and 11th in points last season, Lazor's first as offensive coordinator. Lazor came from Philadelphia and incorporated some of the Chip Kelly/Eagles style, and it brought a big improvement to Miami. Players like Tannehill and Miller took off in the new scheme. It should be even better in year two.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The Dolphins should get off to a great start. Their first seven weeks: at Washington, at Jacksonville, vs. Buffalo, vs. N.Y. Jets (at London), bye week, at Tennessee, vs. Houston. They could be favored in every game. I'm not saying they'll be 6-0 going into a nice Thursday night game at New England on Oct. 29, but it's possible.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: The Dolphins have a shot to win the AFC East. It's hard to pick it just because the Patriots own the division, but this is a really talented Dolphins team and we know about the issues the Patriots are dealing with. If Miami gets off to that blazing start with its favorable schedule, it could gain confidence it might turn into a really interesting year for the Dolphins.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: Not everyone is sold on Philbin, and I can't say I am either. You can't expect Tannehill to keep making big leaps every year, so maybe this is the year his play levels off. Miami's offensive line could be a real problem, especially if injuries strike again. And maybe it's unrealistic to expect Suh to fix everything for a defense that was below average last season. The AFC East is tough, and a lot of people are high on the Bills and Jets. If both those teams find some decent quarterback play and the Dolphins are the same ho-hum team we're used to seeing, a last-place finish isn't out of the question.

The crystal ball says: The Dolphins will be this year's "surprise" team. Nobody will be too shocked because they made such a splash in the offseason and got everyone's attention, but I also assume everyone figures this will be the same ol' Dolphins. I'd love to really go all in and pick them to win the AFC East, but I can't. A really good record and a wild-card spot is my prediction though.

The contract also includes a $31 million signing bonus, and total guarantees of approximately $60 million. According to Pro Football Talk, the deal is a four-year extension for a total of five years, so Wilson is locked in through the 2019 season.

Wilson's deal comes in just south of the average of $22 million per season, which the NFL's leading man, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, makes. Wilson and the Seahawks had agreed to a self-imposed deadline of 10 a.m. PT on Friday to agree to an extension.

The Seahawks might be in a financial pinch, with several other key players wanting to get paid or heading into their free-agency seasons, but they had to make this contract with Wilson happen. There was pressure for Wilson to get a deal done — he stood to make a mere $1.5 million this season.

The two sides had gone back and forth all offseason, with Wilson saying all the right things publicly but sources reporting that he and agent Mark Rodgers were starting their asking price at $25 million per season. That was never going to happen, but the pressure of potentially losing their franchise QB forced the two sides together for an 11th-hour negotiating session Thursday night and into Friday morning.

The contract averages $21.9 million, which is just north of two-time champ Ben Roethlisberger, whose deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers averages $21.85 million. Wilson's $31 million signing bonus matches what Roethlisberger earned when he signed his extension in March.

Along with the money, the four-year part of the deal is another stunner: This means Wilson, 26, can renegotiate his next contract before he turns 30. It's rare for a team to sign a franchise quarterback in his prime to a deal this short, with most deals of this sort coming in the five-, six- and seven-year range.

Will this Wilson contract prevent the Seahawks from keeping Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor, who have asked for renegotiated contracts, or Bobby Wagner, Russell Okung or Bruce Irvin — who are all heading into the final years of their deals?

Rivera will miss Panthers practices on Saturday and Sunday to attend funeral services in Reno, Nev., according to ESPN. Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks will run the show in Rivera's absence.

"It's been a series of ups and downs," said Rivera, who received the news while moving back into his house, which was heavily damaged by fire that happened during the Panthers' playoff run in January. "We got back off of vacation and we were moving back into our home, and then we got the word about my brother, Mickey.

"It did make it tough. For the most part he's in a better place now. In Mickey's mind he didn't want to be a distraction, but the timing was not good."

The Panthers knew Rivera's brother was sick last season and he served as inspiration for a team that started out 3-8-1 but won its final four regular-season games to steal the NFC South crown and upset the 11-5 Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.

]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 05:43:52 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,8caee7a2-3dc9-36dc-b0d2-876a8c03b923-l:1Report: Kam Chancellor will hold out from Seahawks camp, seeking new dealhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/report--kam-chancellor-will-hold-out-from-seahawks-camp--seeking-new-deal-025314057.html
The biggest question about the Seattle Seahawks entering the 2015 season seems to be: How will they bounce back following the disappointment of losing the Super Bowl in haunting fashion?

But that might need adjusting.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor intends to hold out from training camp in search of a new deal. Money, it would appear, is the biggest worry in Seattle right now.

In addition to Chancellor, defensive end Michael Bennett is also unhappy with his contract — staying away from volunteer workout and perhaps even requesting a trade — and might join Chancellor as a no-show at the start of camp.

That also would be the self-imposed deadline by which Russell Wilson wants an extension before he heads into the final year of his deal. And oh yeah, he reportedly just turned down a $21M-per-year deal. And double oh yeah, linebacker Bobby Wagner needs a new contract. Anyone else? Yes — Bruce Irvin, a free agent after the season who already has made overtures with the Atlanta Falcons. Oh, and sorry, left tackle Russell Okung, too.

The Seahawks have been very generous with some of their core players over the past few seasons, extending safety Earl Thomas, corner Richard Sherman, receiver Doug Baldwin, linebacker K.J. Wright, defensive end Cliff Avril and running back Marshawn Lynch. They also added the remaining three years and $27 million on the contract of tight end Jimmy Graham, who was landed in an offseason trade.

Chancellor's last contract extension came in 2013, when he signed a four-year, $28 million deal, so the ink hardly is dry on that one. He's currently signed up through the 2017 season, with base salaries of $4.55 million, $5.1 million and $6.8 million the next three seasons, respectively.

Yeah, it's getting hard to pay everyone. But with Thomas (torn labrum) and Jeremy Lane (forearm, knee) coming off offseason surgery — and their status for the start of the season in doubt — Chancellor has some tremendous leverage. He's one of the Seahawks' tone setters and a uniquely sized hitter and intimidator at the position.

The Seahawks have ridden the razor's edge the past few seasons, fueled by a confident locker room and Pete Carroll's devil-may-care approach. They'd fed on chaos and made it a weapon even. But this is getting tricky. Already you have Malcolm Butler nightmares, and the Wilson situation has been in the news every few weeks this offseason, At some point, they might reach their max-fill level of this kind of turmoil. And at this rate, they certainly can't pay every player on the roster what they think they're worth, either.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo — Welcome to training camp of the contender that everyone has forgotten about.

Pick up a magazine or find an early Internet preview and let me know if any picked the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl. I haven't seen one yet.

"We're here to win a championship," said Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who got the job because John Fox won four straight AFC West titles but no Super Bowl titles. "That's our goal as a football team."

That's training camp talk. Roughly 32 teams will say that if pressed. About 15 or so should realistically think they're telling the truth. Maybe six or seven have a good reason to be angry if it doesn't come true.

The Broncos haven't dropped out of that group of six or seven. They're still a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They'll just chase that goal with a much different approach.

The reason the Broncos are a bit of an an afterthought is because of how one guy played in one game last season. Quarterback Peyton Manning looked old in the Broncos' divisional round playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He had 211 yards on 46 attempts. Every throw seemed like a struggle. He couldn't even say after the game if he'd retire or come back. Going into Manning's age-39 season, the Broncos aren't ignoring that their quarterback needs to be handled differently if they're going to win anything.

The Broncos have embraced Manning's age and what they have to do to work around it. Nobody tried to act like he will be the 5,477-yard, 55-touchdown guy he was in 2013. The talk around the Broncos as they reported to camp on Thursday was about easing back on Manning in practice, monitoring his throws in camp and monitoring his attempts during the season too. You'd assume it's not easy to sell Manning on working less, but it's necessary.

"The key thing with Peyton, and I think Peyton is on board with it, is that even though you can't feel it now, if you're doing too much work now it's going to catch up to you," Broncos general manager John Elway said. "At 37, 38, 39 years old where he is, you can't make that up at the end.

"He'll never feel it. But you get to December, you get to January, if we haven't taken care of it in August, September, October, that can hurt him and us."

Late last season the offense started revolving around running back C.J. Anderson, who played really well in the second half of the season. The Broncos started going bigger, with extra linemen and multiple tight ends. They knew well before Manning hurt his quad against San Diego on Dec. 14 that he was slowing down. He had hit the wall by the playoffs. The Broncos then hired Kubiak to be their head coach, and Kubiak is one of the best in the NFL at devising a running game. So the fact that the Broncos are planning to feature Manning less is no surprise.

Oh, if only the Broncos had a good example around of an aging quarterback who took a lesser role, saving himself to make a play a few times a game while the running game did the heavy lifting on the way to a title.

"No. 1, we're going to have good balance on the offensive side, and late in my career that was my best friend, the running game," said Elway, who completed 12 passes for 123 yards and no touchdowns while Terrell Davis rushed for 157 and three scores in Elway's first Super Bowl win. "I think that running game will be Peyton's best friend also. Obviously it's going to be a little bit of an adjustment."

Elway likes to say, "It's not about win now. It's about win from now on." That's a great line, but a bit misleading for the Broncos of this era. The Broncos have been built to win now since Manning agreed to come to Denver. The Broncos have rightfully been aggressive in free agency, and it is getting tougher to keep the core together. Receiver Demaryius Thomas was re-signed to a big deal, but tight end Julius Thomas and guard Orlando Franklin couldn't be retained. Next year, outside linebacker Von Miller hits free agency. He might have a monster season with new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. That's an issue for another day.

The focus right now is if the Broncos can win a Super Bowl while Manning is still a top quarterback. And Manning should still be one of the league's best, just not at the volume we're used to. Manning did post a 101.5 rating last year. He might not be good for 659 MVP throws like he was two years ago, but maybe 500 or so very good throws? Sure, why not.

"When you have Peyton Manning out there .... the smartest quarterback in my opinion in the National Football League managing the game, I think that's a recipe for success," receiver Emmanuel Sanders said.

Sanders didn't mean "managing the game," in a negative way at all, certainly not in the way the term "game manager" is commonly used. Manning has managed just about every game he has ever played in, and done it at a Hall of Fame level. He isn't going to be Alex Smith or Andy Dalton this season. But the words were striking. Manning, the only five-time MVP in league history, is going to be asked to manage the game. Clearly everyone goes into this season understanding that roles will change, even for one of the game's all time greats.

"Peyton wants to win games, he wants to win championships," Elway said. "I think he's going to do everything he can to get that done within the system we have now."

If Manning can be that 100-plus rating quarterback again, Anderson and/or Montee Ball run the ball effectively and the Broncos underrated defense plays at a top level again (Denver was second in the NFL in yards per play allowed behind the Seattle Seahawks, if you hadn't realized), then Denver could get right back to the Super Bowl. The Broncos are 38-10 in the regular season the past three years. There are issues — the offensive line might be a real problem, and the defensive line will be thin during Derek Wolfe's four-game suspension — but the Broncos shouldn't feel they have to line up behind anyone in the AFC as they go into the season.

Other than debates about how much Manning has left in the tank, the Broncos have been the least talked-about contender this offseason. Maybe you haven't thought about them in a while, but the Broncos still believe they're a championship contender. It just will look a little different this season, that's all.

Richardson was suspended for the first four games of this season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, reportedly for marijuana use. On Thursday, as the Jets started training camp, there was a story out of St. Louis that Richardson was clocked for allegedly driving 143 miles per hour and then resisting arrest via a high-speed chase on July 14.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Richardson was clocked at that speed in his 2014 Bentley Silver Spur, then "increased his speed, drove off the highway, and sped through a traffic light to try to get away" when officers tried to stop his car. There was a 12-year-old in the car, and two other adults, the report said. Richardson eventually complied with officers' demands to get out of the vehicle and he was arrested.

The Post-Dispatch said Richardson was charged with resisting arrest, exceeding the speed limit, following too closely, failing to use lights and failing to obey a traffic signal. Richardson is from St. Louis, and the incident happened in that area.

The probable cause report on the Post-Dispatch's web site revealed a few more details. It said Richardson appeared to reach for something between his feet as he was told to stop. The report said a fully loaded semi-automatic handgun was recovered from underneath the driver's side floor mat. The report also the said the officer reported smelling the strong odor of burned marijuana coming from the vehicle.

Before news of the traffic arrest was brought to light, Richardson was explaining his reasons for his other off-field issue, the four-game suspension.

“I’m very disappointed in myself...I brought it on myself, me missing the four games,” Richardson said, according to the Daily News. "Just a little disappointed and embarrassed for my parents’ sake."

Richardson was a first-round pick in 2013 and the NFL defensive rookie of the year. He is one of the best defensive ends in the league. But the Jets would probably be happy if his next few headlines were strictly for what he does on the field.

A month ago, I never, ever thought I'd be writing that headline about an NFL player.

The Jason Pierre-Paul story with the New York Giants is terrible and weird. Pierre-Paul injured himself in a July 4 fireworks accident. ESPN said Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated, which was reportedly the first time the Giants heard about it. Pierre-Paul would not let the Giants see him in the hospital.

None of this is sitting well with Giants co-owner John Mara, who sounded off Thursday as the Giants reported to training camp without Pierre-Paul.

"We don't know how extensive the damage is right now," Mara said, according to NJ.com. "That is the problem.

"I don't know how many fingers he has. We know what we've read and what we've been told, but until we actually see him and the extent of the damage, it's hard to make any sort of prediction as to what kind of condition he's in."

Pierre-Paul is in an unusual position. He's not technically under contract with the Giants. The Giants gave him the one-year franchise tag and Pierre-Paul didn't sign it, hoping for a long-term deal. That obviously didn't happen after the fireworks incident. The franchise tag is still on the table (if the Giants pulled it, Pierre-Paul would become a free agent), waiting for Pierre-Paul to sign it.

Mara said he thinks Pierre-Paul is getting bad advice, and it's "sad." He said the Giants have to assume he won't be with them all season, because the team hasn't heard from Pierre-Paul and has no idea when he's coming or what his injuries are almost four weeks after the accident. The Giants have only heard about Pierre-Paul's injuries through his agent, and Mara said he doesn't believe him.

"Until we see him for ourselves, that doesn't give us any comfort," Mara said, according to NJ.com.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Super Bowl favorites (at least according to many Las Vegas betting houses) got off to choppy start during the pressure portion of practice Thursday, and this was after Aaron Rodgers had thrown an interception to an undrafted rookie cornerback.

But, being the Green Bay Packers, they still found their groove offensively in the first training camp practice of the year. Dressed in shorts and shells, Rodgers led the first-team offense in the no-huddle session and shook off the earlier rust following a first-down incompletion.

Then, off it went: The reigning league MVP hit Jordy Nelson on a fade stop for a first down. Eddie Lacy then took an inside zone run for 6 yards. Jeff Janis beat Sam Shields for a chain-mover. Lacy for 6 more. Even after a Bryan Bulaga false start, Randall Cobb made a diving catch from the slot to convert a third-and-11.

“Definitely got off to a fast start,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “The tempo of practice is what I was looking for.”

Yes, tempo trumps style for the coach who is giving up play-calling — his baby since he took over the job in 2006 — to offensive coordinator Tom Clements this season. But there was a clear sore-thumb element from Thursday: execution, which was rough.

But the pieces, aside from a murky tight end situation, are all there offensively for something special again. Maybe even more special than before.

Rodgers. The receivers — in addition to Nelson and Cobb, don’t forget Davante Adams, who stepped up late in his rookie season. The top seven offensive linemen return. Lacy and James Starks make up a potent 1-2 punch at running back, and Raijon Neal, who missed all of his rookie season after going undrafted out of Tennessee, had two eye-opening runs with burst in the opening practice.

“We’ve got all 11 starters back on offense,” Rodgers said. “I’m sure you guys have your own expectations, and the oddsmakers do as well. We have high expectations for ourselves, and we push each other to be great.”

For a team as reliant on pace and timing and precision as the Packers are, even an uneven session such as this can have benefits.

“It starts in training camp when the chemistry is coming together, the team is coming together and you start to figure out who they key players are going to be, who is going to make that jump from Year 1 and 2 and we expect our veterans to keep playing at the level they’ve played at,” Rodgers said.

Added Lacy, who looks even bigger and stronger (while keeping his nifty feet) and perhaps even better hands after 35- and 42-catch seasons in the NFL: “Individually, I like where I am at. And on offense, I love where we are at. I thought everything looked good for a first practice.”

McCarthy, who will take a more macro view of the team and spend more time overseeing special teams, said Wednesday that Rodgers won’t be held back after missing time the past two seasons with a broken collarbone (seven games in 2013) and a calf that hobbled him down the stretch through the playoffs. But Rodgers seemed surprised this was a topic of discussion.

“I am 31, and I feel great. I am not 35, 36, 37 [years old]. I don’t know what this pitch count is all about,” he said. “I’ve iced my arm probably less than five times in my life. I’m very happy with the gift I was given with this right arm, and it doesn’t give me any problems.”

Defensively, there are problems and questions, but it appears that there is competition at nearly every spot in doubt.

The line has options to play with Mike Daniels, nose tackles B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion (both of whom moved around well Thursday), Datone Jones, Josh Boyd and others, although suspensions for Jones (one game) and Guion (three) hit hard out of the chute.

Inside linebacker saw Clay Matthews and Sam Barrington take many first-team reps, but keep an eye on 2013 sixth-rounder Nate Palmer, who opened eyes. Carl Bradford and Jake Ryan, fourth-rounders the past two seasons, might also be options there. Outside, Matthews, Julius Peppers and former first-rounder Nick Perry can heat up the edges and also drop off.

In the secondary, where starting right corner Tramon Williams bolted for Cleveland and the nickel and dime jobs have yet to be determined, there were able and active bodies. Casey Hayward has a strong practice working in Williams’ vacated spot. First-rounder Damarious Randall didn’t look out of place after switching from college safety to NFL corner, and second-rounder Quentin Rollins, who missed Thursday’s session on the team’s non-football injury list, will get his chance eventually.

“The changes we made this offseason, I think we’re going to have a very good defense,” Rodgers said.

And yet the sight of the day was undrafted Miami (Fla.) corner LaDarius Gunter getting physical off the line with Jared Abbrederis (who got hurt on the play), walling him off and picking off Rodgers, who has thrown only 27 picks in his past 64 regular-season games, earning a huge roar in an otherwise quiet practice.

“I just try to use my length, my physicality to make plays,” Gunter told Shutdown Corner. “That felt good, that play. I’m just trying to take advantage of this opportunity here, and it’s only Day 1.”

If you judged this Packers by this one practice alone, you might be underwhelmed. Slow starts are nothing new in Green Bay, where the team has turned a 3-3 start in 2010 into a Super Bowl win and a 1-2 record in 2014 — you certainly remember Rodgers’ “R-E-L-A-X” — into a spot in the NFC championship game.

That, of course, was the devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks, blowing a 13-point lead in the final few minutes. The theme in the locker room seemed to be that most players had no intention of dwelling on that disappointment as a way of motivation, even with Seattle on the schedule so early in the season — Week 2 at Lambeau Field.

“That was a long time ago. That was last [season]. This is the 2015 team,” Rodgers said. “They’re different. We’re different. Different expectations. Different players. And it’s going to be at home.”

Said Lacy, “I don’t know how other guys get themselves motivated, but I’m not still thinking about that game. It was hard to get over, but you get over it. I’m not sitting here thinking about that game every day or something.”

It has been 193 days since that loss, and it’s another 45 until the opener against the Chicago Bears. The Packers have a sneaky-tough early schedule, and a slow start shouldn’t alarm anyone. This is still one of the clear Super Bowl favorites, and the Packers weren’t backing down from those predictions.

"Was he even out there?" the Green Bay Packers quarterback playfully asked after Thursday's practice.

Rodgers, of course, knew. He hit Nelson on a few quality passes during the two-hour session, and in an otherwise uneventful camp-opening practice, Nelson's presence on the field was a sign of good news for the Packers. He had missed parts of OTAs following hip surgery, and even though he took part in drills in June, there was speculation that Nelson could open up camp on the Packers' active/PUP list.

But Nelson was a full go. He ran in shells (no pads) at what appeared to be close to full speed, made nice cuts and worked on sharpening his Pro Bowl form.

Head coach Mike McCarthy appeared impressed.

"Jordy’s so consistent. Today, the little that I watched him one-on-one, it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat," McCarthy said. "I think tomorrow [Friday, also in shells] and the next day [Saturday, the first full-padded practice] and things like that, really how he feels as he progresses through camp will be the first hurdle that he needs to get over.

"I thought the staff and Jordy took the right amount of time. Like I’ve said in here before, I don’t think there was a day in the offseason and even over the vacation that I was in here that Jordy wasn’t in here working.

And, yes, Rodgers eventually admitted to liking Nelson — and what he saw from him on Day 1.

"Yeah, Jordy's a stud. He's a top player and it was great having him out there again," Rodgers said.

"The time has come for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft to start dealing with reality," Jason Koeppel, one of the planners behind the stunt, told Metro New York and Yahoo Sports' Kristian Dyer. "Sports fans are not stupid. We have seen this act before from disgraced former superstar athletes. People like Lance Armstrong and Ryan Braun who challenged the system after they got caught red handed. Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, A-Rod, Roger Clemens - the list of people who lied after they got caught cheating is sadly endless. Why not learn from their mistakes? Take a lesson from Pete Rose who is still banned from baseball because of the way he acted after he got caught. Give up your ridiculous campaign of lies and accept your punishment. Have some integrity. Stop this 'Tom Foolery' today.”

The Patriots remain the focus of pretty much the entire NFL establishment right now, whether it's Brady making an impressive one-handed catch or Robert Kraft signing a "FREE BRADY" poster:

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 10: ARIZONA CARDINALS

If you believe in statistics and regression to the mean, the Arizona Cardinals are an interesting case. Because they were nowhere as close to as good, statistically, as their 11-5 record last season.

The Cardinals outscored their opponents by just 11 points last year, placing their pythagorean expectation at about 8.3 wins. Football Outsiders had Arizona ranked 22nd in its DVOA per-play metric, and the Cardinals had 7.5 estimated wins based on FO's in-depth statistical model. The Cardinals' NFL per-play ranks in passing yards, rushing yards, passing yards allowed and rushing yards allowed: 20th, 32nd, 22nd, 25th. USA Today statistician Jeff Sagarin had the Cardinals ranked 15th at the end of last season. Advanced Football Analytics had Arizona ranked 21st in its final efficiency rankings. The Cardinals simply weren't great, statistically speaking, at anything. Their statistical profile looks like an eight-win team, at best.

The Carson Palmer injury doesn't explain it all either. The Cardinals were 8-1 when Palmer was lost for the season, but just 15th in DVOA at that point with only 5.4 estimated wins, according to Football Outsiders.

So with all of that said, why are the Cardinals so high, if they're such a candidate to regress? I believe in stats, but I also believe in what I see as well. And Arizona is a well-coached team with a lot of talent.

The Cardinals were very good in 2013 (and a lot of the statistics backed it up) when Bruce Arians took over as coach. Arizona didn't make the playoffs, but was 10-6 in a really tough division. Last season the Cardinals stayed competitive despite losing Palmer and then Drew Stanton and having a really frightening quarterback situation down the stretch. They still managed to go 11-5 and make the playoffs.

Palmer really fits what Arians wants to do, which is stretch the field. Assuming he returns as his old self from ACL surgery — not a given, considering his first ACL injury seemed to affect him for a while — the Cardinals have a dangerous passing game. They upgraded the offensive line as well, which should help a really bad running game. I worry about the defense slipping a bit without mastermind coordinator Todd Bowles, who is with the New York Jets, but there's good talent on that side of the ball.

All those numbers at the top do give me pause with the Cardinals. What if a 4-1 record in games decided by less than a touchdown flips the other way? What if Palmer isn't the same or the defense really misses Bowles? There's a lot of reasons to pick against the Cardinals, but I'm putting my faith in Arians to figure it out.

2014 review in less than 25 words: Who knows how the NFL season might have changed if Palmer stayed healthy. Arizona finished one game behind Seattle in the NFC West.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? There were some losses, most notably nose tackle Dan Williams, cornerback Antonio Cromartie and longtime end Darnell Dockett, who missed last season due to injury. The additions were nice, though: Guard Mike Iupati was a great get and buy-low opportunities like defensive tackle Corey Peters, linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and pass rusher LaMarr Woodley made sense. They also took offensive tackle D.J. Humphries in the first round, and that helps the depth of a good line. I like the additions and think the Cardinals are a little better.

Best offseason acquisition: Former 49er Iupati got a five-year, $40 million deal, which is a lot for a guard. But at least the money went to a player who might be the best guard in football. Iupati has been a Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons, and an All-Pro once. He's frighteningly mobile for a 331-pound man. He's an absolute masher in the run game. It was money well spent.

Achilles' heel: The Cardinals probably need to run the ball better to take the next step. Arizona averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season, and even in a passing league you need to do better than that. Andre Ellington did not do well when given the chance to be a featured back, so the Cardinals drafted running back David Johnson out of Northern Iowa in the third round. They don't need to morph into the Seahawks this season, but the Cardinals need to be better on the ground. The line is too good to repeat that 3.3 mark again.

Position in flux: I wonder how the targets get spread around in Arizona's passing game this year. The Cardinals have three dangerous wideouts. Larry Fitzgerald is the big name, and while he's still reliable he hasn't had a 1,000-yard campaign since 2011 and will be 32 this season. Michael Floyd was a big disappointment last season in what was supposed to be a breakout year. John Brown, however, was really good at times, though catching just 48-of-103 targets is a little troubling (though horrible quarterback play down the stretch played a role). I think Floyd is still a good talent and bounces back some, so it could just go week-to-week on who is Palmer's top target this season. At least the Cardinals have options.

Ready to break out: Deone Bucannon played out of position all last season. He was a linebacker in the Cardinals' nickel packages, mostly because he had the size for it and Bowles liked using many safeties. But Bucannon is back at safety full time, and last year's first-round pick should flourish (read AzCardinals.com's Darren Urban on Bucannon feeling comfortable after spending the offseason at his natural position). He and Tyrann Mathieu have the ability to be a great safety tandem for many years in Arizona.

Stat fact: Fitzgerald had more than 34 yards in six of the Cardinals' first nine games, including three games with at least 98 yards. Then Palmer got hurt, Fitzgerald dealt with his own knee injuries, and Fitzgerald didn't break 34 yards in any game the rest of the season. Palmer's return helps him more than anyone.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The Cardinals don't play a team that had a winning record in 2014 until Week 5, when they travel to Detroit. But it gets a lot harder after that. Arizona finishes with games at Philadelphia, vs. Green Bay and vs. Seattle, so it's probably in the Cardinals' best interest to stockpile wins early on.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: I just can't see an NFC West championship for them, unless something weird happens in Seattle. But double-digit wins and a wild-card spot is a fair goal. And, because this team has weapons and is so aggressive on both sides of the ball, it would be a wild-card team nobody wants to host. As long as the Cardinals aren't down to their third quarterback again.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: Palmer, at age 35, isn't a sure bet to just pick up where he left off after ACL surgery. Since this team has no proven running game to lean on, if Palmer struggles then the entire season could be a struggle. Losing Bowles, who was one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL over the last two years, could hurt too. Outside linebackers coach James Bettcher was promoted because he'll maintain the same aggressive philosophy Bowles had, but he's just 37, has only three years NFL experience and hasn't been a defensive coordinator. He has big shoes to fill. And take another look at the first few paragraphs. It might just be that the Cardinals are in for a regression anyway.

The crystal ball says: I think the Cardinals are good enough to make it back to the playoffs, and erase the memory of last season's brutally ugly postseason showing at Carolina. I believe in Arians, most of all, and like the Cardinals' defensive philosophy. They'll be a fun team to watch again.

]]>Thu, 30 Jul 2015 09:14:04 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e977de22-2e9b-36c9-8ff8-6d2ad67da42b-l:1William 'Refrigerator' Perry auctioning off Super Bowl XX ringhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/william--refrigerator--perry-auctioning-off-super-bowl-xx-ring-144449248.html
William "Refrigerator" Perry, one of the most famous NFL players of the 1980s, is auctioning off the Super Bowl ring he won after the 1985 season with the Chicago Bears.

Heritage Auctions is overseeing the auction at this week's National Sports Collectors' Convention in Ilinois, and bidding is available online. The starting bid is $16,000, and the auction site has indicated that the ring could fetch as much as $1 million. The ring is estimated at a size 25, the largest Super Bowl ring ever produced by Jostens. [UPDATE: The ring was sold for more than $203,000.]

The Bears decimated the Patriots 46-10 in that Super Bowl, a game in which Perry scored a touchdown. Perry played 10 seasons in the NFL, the vast majority of those with the Bears. He has fallen on harder times of late. In 2008, he was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré Syndrome, a disorder involving inflammation of the nerves. He has suffered financial difficulties as well as health problems.

This is not the first time Perry has parted with the ring. In 2010, a young boy spent $8,500 of his own money to buy this ring from a collectibles dealer and return it to Perry. According to the auction site, Perry is offering the ring of his own volition, and a letter of authenticity accompanies the listing.

NFLPA spokesman George Atallah said on the "Dan Patrick Show" (via Pro Football Talk) that the court case the union filed in Minnesota has been moved to New York. That doesn't mean the NFLPA can't win its appeal. But one has to assume the league had good reason to so badly want the case to be heard in New York and not Minnesota. You don't secretly plan to file in New York as the commissioner drags out his decision, then rush to beat the NFLPA to the punch the moment the ruling is announced if there wasn't good reason.

And U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kyle in Minnesota, who made the ruling, seemed perturbed that the union tried to bring the case to Minnesota, seemingly only because of favorable decisions there in the past.

"The court appreciates no 'compelling circumstances' undermining application of the first-filed rule to transfer this action from Minnesota to New York, where the first action was filed. Indeed, the Court sees little reason to have been commenced in Minnesota at all. Brady plays for a team in Massachusetts; the Union is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the NFL is headquartered in New York; the arbitration proceedings took place in New York; and the award was issued in New York. In the undersigned's view, therefore, it makes immenent sense the NFL would have commenced its action seeking confirmation of the award in the Southern District of New York. Why the instant action was filed here, however, is far less clear."

Judge Kyle also noted in the footnotes of his ruling that he "strongly suspects" the Union filed in Minnesota because "it has obtained favorable rulings from this court in the past."

The league mishandled the situation, Ted Wells probably would give back all the millions he got from the NFL just so his name wasn't mentioned in the news cycle anymore, commissioner Roger Goodell gave his critics more fuel and the NFL tarnished its Super Bowl champion. Pretty thorough job. All over a fairly minor controversy that was, as Yahoo's Dan Wetzel pointed out so well, "a molehill the NFL turned into a mountain."

But the weirdest part is why the NFL chose to rip apart Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback in league history, who had been ideal for the league and its growth this century.

And make no mistake, the NFL made that choice. There are enough holes in the Wells report that Goodell could have chosen to go about this in an entirely different way. I'm not talking about looking the other way. I'm talking about realizing there was no evidence of Brady's wrongdoing and giving someone with a clean record in such matters the benefit of the doubt. The NFL instead said that Brady talking to equipment man John Jastremski on the phone and texting him a dozen times after the story first broke was a sign of his guilt, which makes it seem like they came to a conclusion first and then found the narrative to fit it. The NFL made Brady out to be the bad guy, using him to win public favor with the destroyed cell phone nonsense.

(Look, I hear you yelling at me, Patriots/Brady critics. You made up your mind in January and it hasn't changed. You were gullible enough to fall for the NFL's destroyed cell phone red herring, when it had nothing to do with anything. You decided long ago what happened —even though Wells couldn't find anything in months of investigating, you know all the facts — and you won't change your mind. To you Brady is the biggest cheatingest cheaty cheat in NFL history ... even though you can't tell me what he did. I get it. Thanks for the input.)

When Patriots owner Robert Kraft was apologizing to the fans for accepting the NFL's punishment and attacking Goodell, he also was incredulous over how the NFL painted Brady as a villain, especially by shifting the focus to the inconsequential destroyed cell phone.

"This headline was designed to capture headlines across the country and obscure [the fact the NFL still has no hard] evidence regarding the tampering of air pressure in footballs," Kraft said. "It intentionally implied nefarious behavior and minimized the acknowledgement that Tom provided the history of every number he texted during the relevant time frame. And we had already provided the league with every cellphone of every non-NFLPA employee that they requested, including head coach Bill Belichick.

"Tom Brady is a person of great integrity and is a great ambassador of the game, both on and off the field. Yet, for reasons that I cannot comprehend, there are those in the league office who are more determined to prove that they were right rather than admit any culpability of their own or take any responsibility for the initiation of a process and ensuing investigation that was flawed."

Brady has been lumped in with Spygate over the last few months, but that was a Belichick production, not Brady. Brady wasn't so much as fined for that ordeal. If you want to get into Brady leaving Bridget Moynahan for Gisele, that's fine, though I'd rather not do the TMZ thing here. Even when Brady was fined $10,000 for kicking Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed when he slid too hard in a game, he called Reed to apologize. For all purposes related to deflate-gate, Brady's record was clean and this should have been treated as a first offense if the league found any evidence of specific wrongdoing. Which it didn't. This is not someone you'd think the NFL would be out to get, but that's what happened for whatever reason.

So perhaps the most famous player in the NFL (and the one that sold the most merchandise for the NFL in the last quarter), a great story of a player who was drafted in the sixth round yet still became the third quarterback to win four Super Bowls, was sold out by the league. Made an example of. Keep in mind that, as Bill Simmons pointed out, the Falcons were found to have pumped in crowd noise over 2013 and 2014 and were stripped of a fifth-round pick. The Patriots were fined $1 million, lost a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick, and their quarterback who never had caused the league any trouble before was suspended the same as busted steroid cheats and Greg Hardy, who was involved in a domestic violence incident. I don't know how the NFL reconciles all that in its head. The only other known penalty for lack of cooperation was Brett Favre, and he was fined $50,000. And Brady did cooperate, answering every question, he just didn't turn over his personal communication that the NFL has no right to. Also, again, there's still no explanation or evidence to what Brady's role was, if any, in this fiasco. He has maintained complete innocence, though because the NFL has made this into a big deal, all of us have heard some talking head say, "I don't know why he doesn't just tell the truth!" Unbelievable.

So this is where deflate-gate has brought us. Perhaps the greatest quarterback ever and one of the most popular players in league history will be stuck with this controversy for as long as we talk about him. Brady has done great things for the NFL and its bottom line, then the NFL turned on him for a public-relations bump. That's pretty sad.

The whole fiasco is probably a good warning to all players: No matter how good you are to the league, just look at what the NFL did to Brady's reputation. If the NFL will do that to Brady, one of its pillars, it sure as heck wouldn't hesitate to do it to you, too.

Well, it has all come full circle when it comes to the draft game of determining what is a red flag for a prospect.

You know the deal, a college player has an arrest or a failed drug test or got kicked off the team, it's a red flag. Too many red flags and you move down. Half of the draft chatter in April is either about hips, upside or red flags. Or, as it turns out with Marcus Mariota, too few red flags are a red flag.

Yeah, this is a doozy. Brett McMurphy of ESPN apparently talked to Oregon coach Mark Helfrich during Helfrich's visit to the network on Wednesday. And McMurphy said that a NFL coach and general manager told Helfrich that the fact that Mariota had no red flags at all — like, apparently he didn't even lag in returning text messages or chew his nails or fail to clear his dirty dishes after dinner or anything at all that bothers anyone —was in itself a red flag.

To repeat: No red flags for Mariota was a red flag.

Mark Helfrich was told by a head coach & GM before NFL Draft that “Marcus Mariota not having any red flags was a red flag” #NFLthinking

Now, apparently these folks weren't with the Tennessee Titans, because the Titans took last year's Heisman Trophy winner second overall. But the story is hilarious; it's like a "Seinfeld" episode.

And it's also kind of funny that while we knew Mariota was a super polite, good-off-the-field draft prospect, we didn't realize he was pretty much immaculate. I mean, an overwhelming majority of draft prospects don't have any RED FLAGS, for anything you'd have to take a mug shot for anyway. For Mariota to be remarkable that he has absolutely no red flags at all, it means that almost everyone else has at least one thing that draws the red flag from NFL teams. Not Mariota. Perhaps the blinding halo around Mariota's head is what caused NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to call him "Mariodo" on draft night.

Remember this next year, when we're having the annual talk about about red flags, that maybe someone has a red flag because they have no red flags. Cue the "Seinfeld" theme.

It's a small world, after all. And apparently all of them are fans of the Washington Redskins. All 7.8 billion of them.

The Redskins put out a report this week, analyzing their reach and the impact of their training camp coverage from 2014. In the report, the Redskins claim a media reach last year of “7,845,460,401 unique visitors of print/online coverage of the 2014 Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Camp from July 24-Aug. 12.” That comes via the D.C. Sports Bog at the Washington Post.

For those not good with math or an understanding of the Internet, that means that over 7.8 billion people, each one of them unique, followed Redskins training camp in some capacity. Again, the report is claiming 7.8 billion people, each one of them different, in some way, shape or form, followed the team last summer.

So the Redskins are so popular, everyone in the world checks in on them, and then some.

Of course, this was an organization that once guaranteed Donovan McNabb $40 million over the course of a five-year contract. Math has never been its strong suit.

This 7.8 billion number has some obvious holes to it, not least of which than it is larger than the world's population. But with that minor fact aside, just how much of the world's population has Internet access? And how many use it to follow Redskins training camp? How many actually care about the NFL let alone one of their 32 teams? And if they had Internet access and cared about the NFL, wouldn't they use it to follow a team that actually plays .500 football? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Kristian R. Dyer writes for Metro New York and is a contributor to Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KristianRDyer

Even those watching deflate-gate play out and supporting Tom Brady had to raise an eyebrow at the news that the cell phone he was using at the time of the purported incident was destroyed.

And even after Brady offered up his reasoning for why the phone was put out of its misery, the question remains: Who in the heck thought this was a good idea?

Was it the NFLPA? Was is Brady's agent? Brady himself?

NFLPA executive George Atallah spoke with 120 Sports on its "Football Fix" show on Wednesday and discussed the future Brady litigation. He was asked whether the union advised Brady what to do — or not do — with his cell phone, as it related to the investigation of Ted Wells or the follow-up meeting with league commissioner Roger Goodell.

"That’s a great question," Atallah said. "The best way I can answer it, and the most transparent way I can answer it is that the union involvement began when the initial four-game suspension was levied. So from that point forward, the union was involved and took the lead in the appeal process.

"It’s hard for us to recreate the events that took place because we were not directly involved, and I don’t think it would be fair to Tom or his representatives who were supporting him through that process."

The punishment was handed down May 11. Goodell's response in upholding the suspension noted that Brady's cell was destroyed on or very close to March 6. So the union clearly had no role in the cell phone destruction, and privately it might tell you it's not happy to have to fend off talk about that now.

So who decided this was a good idea? Brady said he had a minion carry out the deed, but did the quarterback many thought had a future in politics (that's likely gone now) really decide this on his own?

We talk a lot, vaguely, about Brady's camp. And, who knows, the guy might have an actual camp; Brady is a private guy, so it's certainly possible.

But might it have been Don Yee, his agent? League sources seem to believe that Yee, his trusted adviser who has been with Brady since the start of his NFL career, has Brady's ear on important matters. Yee chimed in Tuesday after Goodell upheld the four games and took dead aim at the commissioner in a strong statement blasting Goodell.

We don't know if it was Yee who suggested Brady destroy his cell. But guilty or not, it looks fishy and it gives the union another big hurdle to overcome as it tries to clean up the mess and win a federal court case.

Atallah blasted Goodell's ruling for being out of line with the CBA, but as upset as he was at the suggestion that part of Brady's suspension was because of the cell, he also said it was a convenient distraction to the real issues in the case.

"Yeah, [the cell phone] is a big — big both as a red flag and a red herring," Atallah said. "It’s a red flag because we cannot accept a situation where a player is suspended or disciplined for an unprecedented amount for such a thing. And it’s a red herring because, as Tom Brady himself pointed out in the statement he released this morning, it really doesn’t have any material impact on the facts of the case.

"Ted Wells declared publicly in that infamous presser that he gave that he didn’t even want the phone. If you remember, those words actually came out of his mouth. So I don’t think there is any new information there. This is one of those classic, look at the shiny object and see if it distracts from the real facts of the case."

The way the union will attack this case, Atallah said, is by attacking the process by which the investigation and the follow-up hearing were handled — a process the union believes is unfair and out of line with precedent as the CBA is written.

"Our basis for the federal court case, frankly, is going to be based on all of the missteps that the league office has made with respect to their discipline," he said. "Things like not having a policy or a procedure in place for checking deflated footballs. If they had one in place, they wouldn’t have announced one just this past Sunday. Those things are kind of the procedural issues that we’ll be looking at when we go to court here in the next couple of days.

"We stand on process because the Collective Bargaining Agreement outlines a process to provide players and the commissioner’s office certain rights. If the commissioner’s office oversteps or setps away from the rights of the CBA, we have an obligation to pursue those claims. If a player’s right are violated in any way, those are measures that we need to really aggressively pursue no matter who the player is."

Atallah's response to Patriots owner Robert Kraft taking shots at Goodell and the NFL stunned him because it was so out of character for a league owner to break ranks in this way, even if it was Kraft's quarterback he was trying to protect.

"My initial reaction was that he sounded more like us and the things that we have been saying in the past," Atallah said. "It's really interesting how much is made of the relationship between the union and the league, and this union — and honestly particularly DeMaurice Smith, our executive director — takes a bunch of criticism being critical of the league office.

"And when you hear an owner do it, you're kind of like, 'Wow.' It's like I tweeted — you're almost speechless. The only reaction you can have is one that makes you feels is a sense of validation about the way that they have approached disciplinary matters, at least since I have been a part of the union."

“They did reach out and let us know about the decision and that it might not be popular,” Scarborough Police Chief Robbie Moulton told the Press Herald.

I've been critical of Goodell's handling of deflate-gate, as have others (and if you agree with Goodell's deflate-gate decisions, you've probably disagreed with him about something else), but the man shouldn't feel like his house is in any danger. Goodell's job is a lightning rod for criticism, and he gets paid handsomely to deal with that criticism. Anything beyond criticism is out of line, even if it seems like his call to police was just a precaution. The Press Herald story said there were no threats or problems on Goodell's property.

While Goodell may be an unpopular commissioner, nobody should shift beyond that and attack him personally or believe he's a bad person. Thankfully nobody has done anything crazy over this or the Saints' bounty scandal or any other unpopular decision. And in the past the NFL has made sure, with other potentially controversial decisions, that the police keep an eye on his home.

“In the past, when there have been unpopular decisions, there have been emails and things. I wouldn’t say it rose to the level of threats, but certainly expressing unhappiness,” Moulton told the Press Herald.

The story is just a quick reminder that no matter how much we get fired up about the NFL, it's just football. It's not more serious than that.

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 11: CINCINNATI BENGALS

Making the playoffs four straight seasons in the NFL is a tremendous accomplishment.

It's hard. There's too much turnover and there's too much luck involved to assume you can grind out enough wins year after year to qualify for the postseason. The Cincinnati Bengals have won 40 games and tied one over the last four seasons. Before this run, the franchise had never made the playoffs more than twice in a row. Cincinnati once missed the playoffs 14 straight years.

It's a four-year run that should be celebrated to some extent. But we all know it's not, and instead it has become a punch line because of what has happened when the Bengals actually take the field in the playoffs.

Cincinnati is 0-4 the past four years in the playoffs. They're 0-5 over the last six seasons. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is 0-6 in the playoffs, tying Jim Mora for the most losses without a playoff win in NFL history. Instead of Lewis being celebrated for turning a franchise that once was the biggest joke in the league into an annual playoff participant, all that matters is that 0-6.

That's not entirely fair in the small sample size of a one-and-done elimination sport, but that's life. It doesn't help that only one of Lewis' losses have been by less than 10 points.

It's odd that the Bengals seem to be on the edge of something big, just waiting for a little push from behind, and they haven't been aggressive in building the roster. The last big free agent the Bengals signed was probably running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis in 2012. Defensive end Michael Johnson probably qualifies too, as he was brought back after leaving for a really bad year in Tampa Bay last season. But this isn't a team that has done much in the past few offseasons, and they still have more than $17 million in salary cap space. They're apparently comfortable with their core and the development of their draft picks to get them to the next level.

Is that core good enough? Again, it's unfair to judge them on four playoff games rather than 64 regular-season games. It's not logical to believe there's a fatal flaw that turns them into a different team in January, though many would argue that limited quarterback Andy Dalton is that flaw.

What the Bengals have is a really good run game with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard, a superstar receiver in A.J. Green and a defense that is consistently solid. The Bengals should be one of the best teams in the NFL again. But for this team, it barely matters anymore what they are from September to December. Everyone wants to see some results in January.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Bengals were good in the regular season and lost in the playoffs. Wait, what year is this?

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? The Bengals didn't lose much and didn't gain much either. The band is back together after another uneventful offseason. The roster is about the same. Literally.

Best offseason acquisition: Johnson was a good player for the Bengals, not such a good player after leaving for the Buccaneers in free agency last year, and now he's back. Johnson is only 28, so it's hard to believe last season's slump was related to age. He should bounce back and be the same player the Bengals are used to having off the edge.

Achilles' heel: You can't get very far talking about the Bengals without Dalton coming up. I never had a big problem with Dalton. Sure, he was more game manager than an MVP candidate, but teams have won big with quarterbacks like him before. Last season was alarming though. Dalton struggled at times, and his 19-to-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio was easily the worst of his career. Dalton was good when Jay Gruden was running the offense, and was marginalized with new coordinator Hue Jackson. The Pro Bowl means nothing, but it was still shocking to see Dalton struggle so much in that game last season when nobody cared about playing defense. He had a 54 rating in that Pro Bowl, and no other quarterback in the game posted less than 87.5. Dalton will never be Andrew Luck or Ben Roethlisberger, a player who can put an offense on his back. But he has and can be productive. Year 2 in Jackson's offense — and if Dalton can get back to being the 4,293-yard, 33-touchdown quarterback he was in 2013 — will be interesting to track.

Position in flux: The Bengals' tackle situation is odd. Andrew Whitworth is a very good left tackle, and Andre Smith is solid on the right side. Both can become free agents next year, so the Bengals drafted their potential replacements. They took Cedric Ogbuehi in the first round and Jake Fisher in the second. The Bengals drafted them even though they are a contender in the AFC and neither rookie is expected to help right away. It'll probably be the status quo at tackle in 2015, but it's worth thinking about what might happen at both tackle spots a year from now.

Ready to break out: Players get forgotten when they're injured. That seems to be the case with tight end Tyler Eifert. He was a promising first-round pick two years ago out of Notre Dame, and had a decent rookie season. He had three catches for 37 yards in the Bengals' opener before he suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Maybe that delayed his breakout season for a year. Now that Jermaine Gresham is gone the job belongs to Eifert, and he has a great opportunity to establish himself as a top pass-catching NFL tight end.

Stat fact: The Bengals started riding Hill after seven games last year. In Hill's last nine games he rushed for 929 yards, by far the most in the NFL over that stretch. Marshawn Lynch was second with 824. Hill could easily pick up where he left off and be among the NFL's leaders in rushing. Bernard was a second-round pick just two years ago, but he's a role player now. Hill is the lead back.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The schedule is hard. Based on 2014 records, the Bengals have the second toughest schedule in the NFL. After opening the season at Oakland, the Bengals play six straight games against teams that had a winning record in 2014 (Chargers, Ravens, Chiefs, Seahawks, Bills and Steelers).

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: Winning a playoff game. That cloud will always hang over the Lewis era until the Bengals do something about it. Cincinnati could win a playoff game this season. The same team that went 10-5-1 last year basically returns intact, and while life isn't easy in the AFC North, it hasn't bothered the Bengals for four years running now. Whether the Bengals progress beyond that and be a real contender in the AFC probably depends on if the passing game bounces back to 2013 levels.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: If the schedule beats the Bengals down early on, it could be a tough season. The defense and running game gives the team a foundation for at least seven or eight wins, even in a terrible season. If Dalton's confidence is shaken and he regresses again, maybe the Bengals finish in that range.

The crystal ball says: The AFC is going to be tough. I think the Bengals are good, but I think they're the third-best team in the North. That says more about the division than the Bengals. A lot has to go right to make the playoffs year after year. I think just enough goes wrong this year to leave the Bengals barely outside of the postseason.

]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2015 09:23:40 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,2266e283-50c8-3827-bd8e-b5aceb239202-l:1Robert Kraft attacks the NFL, apologizes to Patriots fanshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/robert-kraft-attacks-the-nfl--apologizes-to-patriots-fans-144058893.html
The last time New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft addressed deflate-gate, he stood on a podium and accepted the punishment of the team by the NFL. He didn't say it at the time, but he thought by doing so he would help Tom Brady's appeal of his four-game suspension.

It didn't help. The suspension was upheld on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Kraft was angry. Kraft apologized to the fans for accepting the Patriots penalties. He said he was wrong to do so.

"I was wrong to put my faith in the league," Kraft said. "Given the facts, evidence and laws of science that underscore this entire situation, it’s completely incomprehensible to me that the league continues to take steps to disparage one of its all-time great players and a man for whom I have the utmost respect. Personally, this is very sad and disappointing to me."

Everyone came to the Patriots' facility to hear coach Bill Belichick's views on the matter, but he was unsurprisingly mute on the situation ("It’s already been addressed" was his favorite non-answer to all the deflate-gate questions). Kraft provided the team's thoughts instead, and it's clear he's back to being angry and combative with the NFL.

Kraft went back to an ESPN story shortly after the deflate-gate story broke, which reported incorrect psi numbers and shaped the controversy because the NFL never corrected them although it had the correct numbers. Kraft flatly said the NFL leaked that story, which should be troubling to everyone in the league if true.

"The league’s handling of this entire process has been extremely frustrating and disconcerting," Kraft said in his statement, which was broadcast by NFL Network. "I’ll never understand why an initial erroneous report regarding the initial psi level of footballs (which) was leaked by a source in the NFL a few days after the AFC championship game was never corrected by those who had the correct information. For four months that report cast aspersions and shaped public opinion."

Kraft also wasn't happy that the NFL focused on Brady's destroyed cell phone in its announcement on Tuesday. The league had no right to look at Brady's personal communication. Brady explained the situation in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. Brady gave over information on who he texted after his phone, which he said was broken, was destroyed. Kraft said the NFL focused on the phone because it had no evidence of Brady's wrongdoing.

"This headline was designed to capture headlines across the country and obscure evidence regarding the tampering regarding the air pressure of footballs," Kraft said. "It intentionally implied nefarious behavior and minimized the acknowledgment that Tom provided the history of every number he texted in that time frame."

Kraft said he has come to the conclusion that the league never cared about doing "what was fair and just." he said he thought the NFL, based on its history of reducing punishment, would do so with Brady after he accepted the team punishment.

"Back in May I had to make a difficult decision that I now regret," Kraft said. "I tried to do what I thought was right."

Kraft said he wouldn't address the matter again until the legal action is finished, and said he would advise everyone in the organization to do the same. Certainly Belichick won't address it. He deflected every question.

"You heard what Robert just said, it’s already been addressed," Belichick said. "Maybe you ought to go back and look at your notes."

Once again, the Patriots have a reason to believe it's them against the rest of the league. This time, however, it looks like they'll go into the season with that chip on their shoulder but their future Hall of Fame quarterback on the sideline for a quarter of the season.

Tuesday’s announcement that Roger Goodell will uphold Tom Brady’s four-game suspension didn’t amount to a conclusion in the case. But it made one conclusion very clear: Everyone loses with this story.

Yes, you can have your jokes about lawyers, iPhones (poor Samsung) and “Free Brady” t-shirt makers getting theirs. Fine — those profiting off this circus are the insignificant minority here who win, like umbrella salesmen price gouging during a downpour.

In short, everyone loses with this story, which should have been snuffed out months ago but now has taken an afterlife of its own. Everyone involved — Brady, Goodell, the NFLPA, the rest of the NFL, the fans — we all lose.

Even the NFL, which will see profit in the form of gonzo ratings in the season opener between the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, lose in this deal. Their short-term gain will have serious long-term effects.

The league is now fully through the looking glass here, along with everything else that has happened the past few seasons that have exactly zero to do with football. This is the second straight season we’ve entered training camp with discipline and not drag routes on our minds. Football is starting back up (football — we love it! Right?) and everyone is weighing in on deflated balls, broken cellphones, future court cases and other nonsense.

The NFL won’t lose the hardcore fans (even the ones currently shouting “DON’T CARE!” about this mess), the fantasy players and the gamblers — they’re juiced in for life. But for a sport that has gone out of its way to open up the game to the casual viewer (with the hopes they become lifers), the extended wrath of domestic violence cases, players losing fingers in fireworks accidents and drawn-out cloak-and-dagger operations over minor violations has the stink of a sport that quickly could go rotten.

If it hasn’t already. The old any-publicity-is-good-publicity spiel is being disproven as we speak.

On Tuesday, you had to squint to find it, but the NFL had two amazing stories it could have pumped up as beacons of light in a dark time. Jen Welter became the NFL’s first-ever female coach, and Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry was cleared to practice following an eight-month battle with Hodgkins’ lymphoma. A few days prior, Berry’s teammate, Jamaal Charles, spoke passionately about his involvement with Special Olympics and how he too was a participant as a child after being told he had a learning disability.

Those are outstanding stories the league could have milked for two or three days worth of cleansing coverage. Deflate-gate crushed those stories. Churned them from cream to butter. Worse yet, the NFL chose to drop this story when it did ... after letting it drag on for months too long.

Make no mistake, this is no pro-Brady rant, because no matter which side you’re on in this thing, you can’t say that the squeaky-clean QB comes out looking better. From the NFL getting out in front of the destroyed cellphone story, to his Facebook-only statement that was about 300 words too long, reading as amateurish and scatterbrained, Brady too has lost in this deal.

Sure, his ardent fans only will dig their heels in deeper for TB12 after Goodell held firm, and lord knows the legion of Goodell backers is reaching Mike Huckabee-esque levels at this point. But even passionate Patriots fans with an iota of critical thought have to raise an eyebrow at how Brady approached and handled his being investigated.

It’s a clean sweep — Goodell, Brady, the league and the hamstrung, day-late-dollar-short union all lost yesterday. Goodell comes off as bitter and unyielding. Brady comes off as suspicious, and he now stands to miss a quarter of his age-38 season (his birthday is in four days — have a swell one, Tom). The NFL maintains its Death Star status, the union comes off as ankle biters, and the two sides absolutely detest and distrust one another.

Good times!

Tomorrow I’ll be in Green Bay to watch the Packers open camp. It will be a glorious day. But the drive home will remind me that the feeling will be fleeting and that the league can’t and won’t turn back from the ugliness they’ve helped permeate. Football is a wonderful sport, but the NFL sure has a way of making me forget that a shocking amount of the time.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Brady's four-game suspension on Tuesday, citing the QB's destroyed cell phone as an important factor in his decision, and the four-time Super Bowl champ threw his counterpunch on Wednesday morning, claiming he replaced a broken Samsung with an iPhone 6.

I am very disappointed by the NFL’s decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one...

I am very disappointed by the NFL’s decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.

Despite submitting to hours of testimony over the past 6 months, it is disappointing that the Commissioner upheld my suspension based upon a standard that it was “probable” that I was “generally aware” of misconduct. The fact is that neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we have been accused. He dismissed my hours of testimony and it is disappointing that he found it unreliable.

I also disagree with yesterdays narrative surrounding my cellphone. I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.

Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at anytime, anything related to football air pressure before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong.

To try and reconcile the record and fully cooperate with the investigation after I was disciplined in May, we turned over detailed pages of cell phone records and all of the emails that Mr. Wells requested. We even contacted the phone company to see if there was any possible way we could retrieve any/all of the actual text messages from my old phone. In short, we exhausted every possibility to give the NFL everything we could and offered to go thru the identity for every text and phone call during the relevant time. Regardless, the NFL knows that Mr. Wells already had ALL relevant communications with Patriots personnel that either Mr. Wells saw or that I was questioned about in my appeal hearing. There is no “smoking gun” and this controversy is manufactured to distract from the fact they have zero evidence of wrongdoing.

I authorized the NFLPA to make a settlement offer to the NFL so that we could avoid going to court and put this inconsequential issue behind us as we move forward into this season. The discipline was upheld without any counter offer. I respect the Commissioners authority, but he also has to respect the CBA and my rights as a private citizen. I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight.

Lastly, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the support of family, friends and our fans who have supported me since the false accusations were made after the AFC Championship game. I look forward to the opportunity to resume playing with my teammates and winning more games for the New England Patriots.

]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2015 05:21:05 PDTBen RohrbachnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,0c97f22a-93a6-30a4-863d-21e3dd089260-l:1Eric Berry, diagnosed with cancer last year, cleared to practice with Chiefshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/eric-berry--diagnosed-with-cancer-last-year--cleared-to-practice-with-chiefs-033957104-nfl.html
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry will return to the practice field on Wednesday, less than eight months after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Chiefs announced on Tuesday night that Berry has been cleared by doctors and will practice when they start camp. Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced in late May that Berry had completed cancer treatments, but it was still unclear when he could return to football.

It's wonderful news all around that Berry won't even miss a day at the start of training camp.

Berry, a three-time Pro Bowler, developed into one of the best safeties in football over his first five seasons. Late last season, however, it was announced that a mass was found in his chest, which was diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma. It was discovered after he complained of chest pain following a game against the Raiders. Chiefs fans, and NFL fans in general, provided an immediate outpouring of support. The news on Tuesday night got an immediate positive response from fellow NFL players.

]]>Tue, 28 Jul 2015 20:39:56 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,eff5d8bf-f507-3901-8454-0cde5c4f5a74-l:1Le'Veon Bell's suspension reduced from three games to twohttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/le-veon-bell-s-suspension-reduced-from-three-games-to-two-231736051.html
Lost in the hubbub of Tom Brady's suspension remaining at four games was some good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Yes, they occasionally accomplish things together.)

Running back Le'Veon Bell was able to have his three-game suspension pared down to two games after a settlement between the NFL and NFLPA.

Bell had been arrested in August 2014 on DUI and marijuana possession charges when he was pulled over by police with then-teammate LeGarrette Blount. Marijuana was found in the car as the two players drove to the airport last preseason for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The offense occurred under the old NFL drug policy, and yet Bell's initial suspension — the three games — was consistent with the new guidelines. The two sides settled, and Bell will miss games (and be docked games checks) in Weeks 1 and 2 at the New England Patriots and home against the San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Bell will be eligible to return to action in Week 3 against the St. Louis Rams.

"As I have stated before, we were disappointed in Le'Veon Bell's actions last August," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement on Tuesday. "Le'Veon made a mistake and now he must learn from his mistake and focus on eliminating distractions from his life. We look forward to continuing to work with Le'Veon to try to help him reach his full potential as a person and as a player."

Blount, now a Patriot, previously was suspended one game for his involvement in the incident. Bell can take part in all training camp practices and preseason games.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson visited Steelers camp on Monday, writing about Ben Roethlisberger's belief the team can score 30 points per game, and the news that Bell will be back a game sooner makes a dangerous offense even more scary.

Brady won't be pulling a Robert Kraft — he'll fight the good fight, and his court options are fascinating. The NFL took preemptive measures after announcing the four games stood by seeking an immediate confirmation in New York, not Minnesota where the NFLPA has had great success on appellate decisions involving the league.

Doty presides in the 8th District Court in Minnesota, where the league is trying to avoid this potential case being heard and where the courts have tended to lean pro-labor in their findings.

No matter the court, the legal rule of thumb is that many judges prefer not to upset established, collectively bargained agreements between parties. In other words, the union (of which Brady is a member) made its bed by signing the CBA back in 2011, which allowed for Goodell to be an arbitrator, and now must sleep in it.

The union's parry to this could be that Goodell's handling of the case lacked due process, was rendered with an arbitrary ruling and was handled in a volatile and capricious manner. Brady's team can ask for an injunction, allowing Brady to sidestep a suspension until a final verdict is reached, and injuctions typically aren't that hard to get. Or it can request an expedited process that rules before the New England Patriots season opener on Sept. 10, which is 44 days from Tuesday's ruling.

How long might this take? Who knows? In addition to the unpredictable speed (or lack thereof) of the American justice system, there's also the strategic angle: Brady and his camp might want to strike immediately and fast-track the operation, or they could drag their heels on the process, hoping to stretch things as far as possible — perhaps even into the offseason.

Remember the StarCaps case between the NFL and NFLPA? That went on for more than two years. Stall tactics are very much an arrow — and a sharp one — in a good lawyer's quiver. There's little doubt that Goodell took his time to rule (effectively, we might add) to maximum effect, issuing his appeal finding on the eve of the Patriots reporting to training camp, so the Brady legal team could give the NFL a dose of its own medicine, except in federal court.

Once Brady's team gets to court, make no mistake: the battle will be tough. As we said, judges must be convinced that there is fairly overwhelming evidence that some serious malfeasance has taken place in how this punishment was carried out.

Here are some potential attacking points for Brady's camp:

Owner influence: If the NFLPA can present evidence that other NFL team owners tried, in any way, to pressure Goodell to uphold the full suspension, it should present it clearly. That would constitute clear partiality by Goodell, and the threat of dragging 31 owners to issue sworn affadavits might make them queasy.

Going after Goodell: The union asked for the commissioner to recuse himself from the hearing, and that was denied. Goodell's way of circumventing this was by arguing it was Troy Vincent who handed down the punishment initially, but the union might try to show how much of a farce that was. As if Goodell had no input? Sure.

Equipment rules: NFL guidelines for handling equipment (including those pesky deflated balls) indicate that team personnel — not players — are ultimately the ones responsible, and thus punishable. Not Brady. In essence, Brady got fined for something he wasn't able to get fined for, so their argument might go.

Established precedent: There is none. The CBA outlines fines, suspensions and punishments for all kinds of misdeeds. There's nothing in there about ordering balls deflated — if Brady even is guilty of that — and thus Goodell was going off script. Way off script, in fact, akin to what Greg Hardy did. Apples, oranges, all that, but you can see how the argument would be borne here. The Minnesota Vikings were caught tampering with balls with a hair dryer during games and were given a slap on the wrist — a $20,000 fine. Pair that with what Brady and the Patriots received, and you can see where they feel there's injustice.

About that guilt: Nowhere in Ted Wells' report — the 243-page, $5 million epic — does it say Brady was guilty unequivocally. That's a problem. The term "generally aware" has been a laughable point as it relates to burden of proof, and rightfully so, and it might be a main talking point in the NFLPA's case. Brady's lawyers will come out swinging at what they believe to be a sham of an investigation that proves no guilt for his client.

About those balls: Yes, the rulebook states that balls must be between 12.5 and 13.5 psi before games (a rule that has existed since the 1930s), but nowhere in there does it account for pressure loss, explainable by the Ideal Gas Law, which you surely have committed to memory by now. So NFL officials measuring balls at halftime of a cold January night might render wildly different results from, say, a preseason game in August.

In the outside world, these types of cases typically are hard to win. With the NFL and the union, though, there's precedent, with the Adrian Peterson suspension being overturned last season and with the bounty scandal — lawyered by Jeffery Kessler, who happens to be Brady's lead attorney — which was contested successfully as well.

We likely are far from any resolution on this saga. Brady is going to court, and more of this story will become public. Could it get more interesting? Oh yes.

The New England Patriots, who easily gave in and accepted their punishment in deflate-gate for the good of the NFL as a whole, aren't happy that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't reduce or vacate Tom Brady's four-game suspension.

The Patriots released this statement a few hours after Goodell's ruling:

"We are extremely disappointed in today's ruling by Commissioner Goodell. We cannot comprehend the league's position on this matter. Most would agree that the penalties levied originally were excessive and unprecedented, especially in light of the fact that the league has no hard evidence of wrongdoing. We continue to unequivocally believe in and support Tom Brady. We also believe that the laws of science continue to underscore the folly of this entire ordeal. Given all of this, it is incomprehensible as to why the league is attempting to destroy the reputation of one of its greatest players and representatives."

The Patriots' statement is part of the public-relations battle started when the NFL focused its media statement on Brady destroying his cell phone.

The fact that he destroyed his phone is meaningless. The NFL had no power to get his private communication. The union can't be happy the NFL thinks it has no limits when it comes to investigating its players. But the destroyed cell phone is an easy talking point, and the NFL knows that. It obscured that the NFL upheld a four-game suspension for Brady and still hasn't stated what he did. They gave the public something else to parrot instead.

Now Brady's side is getting into the PR spin. Brady's agent Don Yee released a statement (you can read it all here at CSNNE) in which he calls Goodell's decision a sham, says investigator Ted Wells was not independent and showed it when he refused to share documents based on "privilege" and pointed out that the NFL "has no evidence that anything inappropriate occurred." He also calls the science in Wells' report "junk."

That's fine, it's a public relations war, but one thing Yee did say needs to be figured out. Yee said that provided an "unprecedented amount of electronic data." That could change the entire argument that Brady was uncooperative because he destroyed his phone. This is from Yee's statement, via CSNNE:

"Finally, as to the issue of cooperation, we presented the Commissioner with an unprecedented amount of electronic data, all of which is incontrovertible. I do not think that any private citizen would have agreed to provide anyone with the amount of information that Tom was willing to reveal to the Commissioner. Tom was completely transparent. All of the electronic information was ignored; we don’t know why. The extent to which Tom opened up his private life to the Commissioner will become clear in the coming days."

Yee needs to provide that evidence if he wants to be taken seriously. If Brady turned over that much electronic data, which again would be strictly voluntary because nowhere in the collective-bargaining agreement does it hint that he has to do so, then it would bring about a new set of questions for the NFL.

There will be a battle in the courts. There will be a battle through the media, as well. It started the moment the NFL announced Goodell's decision.

The NFL has upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension, largely because Brady refused to turn over his cell phone, and all hell's breaking loose. We spend a good 20 minutes chewing over this from every angle, including the "Patriots are cheaters" and "Tom Brady should've just turned over his phone!" angles.

We also consider who wins and who loses in this whole scenario, and whether Jimmy Garoppolo is ready for his close-up. Finally, we look at the options available for both Brady and the NFL going forward. This story is by no means over.

The NFL has ruled on Tom Brady's four-game suspension, and unlike Greg Hardy's domestic violence case, there was no reduction. Both Hardy and Brady each ended up getting four games.

The NFL hammered hard on the fact that Brady destroyed his cell phone in upholding the suspension, even though the NFL had no right to Brady's personal communication on his phone. It smells like a good way to appeal to the public and put out an easily digestible arguing point, but it doesn't make much logical sense.

The longer report by Goodell failed to do one thing critics of Ted Wells' report has pointed to: There's no specific evidence against Brady, and we're still unsure exactly what he did or didn't do.

The report repeats that it seems two Patriots employees did something to the footballs, but it wasn't their indefinite suspensions being appealed. When it comes to Brady, again, there's no specific reason why he was suspended, other than lack of cooperation (which can be debated, and probably will be in federal court). Just some "more probably than nots" and connecting dots without evidence. That shouldn't be enough to suspend a player, who has been a great spokesman for the game and has no similar offenses on his record, for four games.

Here were five points that deserve a closer look from Goodell's report:

1. The second factual finding made makes little sense to upholding the punishment

Read this and tell me what is wrong with it:

"Second, at least by the time of the AFC Championship Game, the inflation level of the footballs was a matter of particular interest to Mr. Brady. He told the Patriots' equipment staff that he wanted the footballs inflated at the lowest permissible level; he reviewed a highlighted copy of the provision of the Playing Rules that addressed inflation of footballs; and he instructed the equipment staff to present a copy of the rule to the game officials. On the day of the AFC Championship Game, Mr. McNally told referee Walt Anderson that Mr. Brady wanted the balls inflated to a pressure of 12.5 psi. He told the investigators that "Tom ... always has me pass a message to the Official's [sic] that he likes the balls at the minimum permissible PSI of 12.5. ... I know this is what Tom wants, and I have been personally told by him of the ball weight preference."

OK, so ... Brady went out of his way to make sure that the balls were inflated to 12.5 psi so they weren't against the rules? That's exactly what that says, that Brady went out of his way to make sure the balls were to his preference but still within the rules, going so far as to review the rulebook to make sure. Yet the NFL presents this as, "Well he did all of this legally BUT IT MAKES YA THINK DOESN'T IT?"

That sums up the lack of evidence. The NFL used a factual finding of non-guilt to justify a four-game suspension.

2. Brady said he always destroys cell phones

This wasn't in the short media release, shockingly enough:

"At the hearing, Mr. Brady testified that it is his practice to destroy (or to give to his assistant to destroy) his cellphone and SIM cards when he gets a new cellphone. Mr. Brady also testified that, based on his typical practice, he would have asked to have the existing cellphone destroyed at or about the same time that he began using his cellphone."

And again, to repeat, the NFL had no right to look at his personal communication, so what's the relevance of what he did with his cell phone? It's a red herring. Goodell said NFL personnel are expected to cooperate fully because the league has no subpoena power, but I'm not sure the union would be too happy to agree with that without limits. Brady answered all of Wells' questions.

Goodell later said that Brady's cell phone before the one in question hadn't been destroyed, which he apparently believed disproved Brady's claim.

3. Goodell decided on four games because the closest precedent was a failed PED test

The punishment part of the report says some commonly discussed precedents don't apply, such as Brett Favre's $50,000 fine for not cooperating for sending inappropriate cell phone pictures ("reflects poorly on the League but does not go to the integrity of the competition on the field"), a Panthers equipment manager warming up a ball on the Vikings' sideline last December ("no player involvement, and no effort to conceal the ball attendant's conduct"), or a 2009 case in which a Jets equipment staff member "'attempted to use' unapproved equipment in plain view of the officials" to kicking balls ("There was no evidence of player involvement").

When handing out the punishment, Goodell instead equated whatever Brady did to a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs.

"In terms of the appropriate level of discipline, the closest parallel of which I am aware is the collectively bargained discipline imposed for a first violation of the policy governing performance enhancing drugs; steroid use reflects an improper effort to secure a competitive advantage in, and threatens the integrity of, the game," Goodell said.

4. Goodell decided to agree with the science in Wells' report

I haven't gotten much into the science and Ideal Gas Law because there is so much conflicting information that it's impossible to know who is right and who is wrong. Goodell disagrees with that; he seems to know who is correct. Plenty of reports have challenged Wells' scientific findings from Exponent, most notably the American Enterprise Institute's report. Instead of acknowledging that many have disagreed with Wells' scientific studies (not to mention that different gauges were used at different times, and Wells used the findings that made it look worst for the Patriots),

Goodell, from the report: "That analysis was in turn reviewed by Professor Daniel Marlow, a professor of physics (and former chairman of the department of physics) at Princeton. The experts from Exponent concluded, and Professor Marlow agreed, that the deflation of the Patriots' footballs cannot be fully explained by environmental factors or scientific principles such as the Ideal Gas Law ... Exponent's conclusions support my finding that the deflation of the footballs was the result of human tampering."

Goodell says the NFLPA and Brady provided experts that refuted Wells' science. He was just "more persuaded" by the experts who agreed with Exponent's findings.

5. Goodell thought Brady did something because he talked with Jastremski at length

You'd think that a section titled "What role, if any, did Mr. Brady have in the scheme to tamper with the footballs?" would provide a clear answer to an often-asked question. It tries to connect dots but never in that section is the question answered. Likely because Wells and Goodell had no evidence.

"Mr. Brady confirmed at the hearing that the Patriots' equipment personnel would not do anything to a game ball that was inconsistent with what he wanted," Goodell says. That's not evidence of Brady's wrongdoing. Yet Goodell's report then goes right into "an unusual pattern of communication between Mr. Brady and Mr. Jastremski" after the AFC title game. They had a 25-minute call and exchanged 12 text messages after the AFC championship game. Again, no specific evidence of wrongdoing. That Brady would speak often to a friend who he knew would be in the middle of a controversy can be explained in ways other than "this means Brady is guilty." It's a heck of a leap to answer the question of "What role did Brady have?" by apparently answering "He must be guilty of something bad because he talked to Jastremski a lot."

So still the fundamental question remains: What exactly was Brady suspended for doing? It looks like it's up to the courts to figure out.

If the NFLPA takes its case to federal court, it will draw out one of the biggest controversies in the NFL in many years. It has been speculated that Brady could seek an injunction so he could play while the case goes through court. There's no guarantee he would get that injunction, and there's a gamble if he gets it. If the case wraps up in federal court late in the season and the suspension holds, Brady could miss some key late-season games, maybe even playoff contests.

The NFL tried to beat the NFLPA to the punch. On Tuesday afternoon the league asked a federal court in New York to confirm the suspension, according to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News. That adds another messy layer, as jurisdiction is decided. Soshnick points out the NFL likely filed in New York to steer the case away from Judge David Doty in Minnesota, who has favored with the union before.

As everyone figured, Goodell's ruling on Brady's appeal wasn't the end of this controversy. There's still plenty to come.

The NFL didn't budge on Tuesday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, five weeks after hearing Brady's appeal over the deflate-gate issue, kept his suspension at four games. That's the same suspension for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy in his domestic violence case. The NFLPA, via reports, has been planning to take the NFL to federal court if Brady's suspension wasn't completely overturned.

Brady destroying his cell phone before he met with investigator Ted Wells was the crux of Goodell's ruling. Here's the NFL's statement in the ruling:

"In the opinion informing Brady that his appeal had been denied, Commissioner Goodell emphasized important new information disclosed by Brady and his representatives in connection with the hearing.

On or shortly before March 6, the day that Tom Brady met with independent investigator Ted Wells and his colleagues, Brady directed that the cell phone he had used for the prior four months be destroyed. He did so even though he was aware that the investigators had requested access to text messages and other electronic information that had been stored on that phone. ‎During the four months that the cell phone was in use, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved from that device. The destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after the investigators had first sought electronic information from Brady.

"Based on the Wells Report and the evidence presented at the hearing, Commissioner Goodell concluded in his decision that Brady was aware of, and took steps to support‎, the actions of other team employees to deflate game footballs below the levels called for by the NFL's Official Playing Rules. The commissioner found that Brady’s deliberate destruction of potentially relevant evidence went beyond a mere failure to cooperate in the investigation and supported a finding that he had sought to hide evidence of his own participation in the underlying scheme to alter the footballs."

The full report said that Brady testified it's his practice to destroy his cell phones and/or SIM cards, or give them to his assistant to destroy, at about the same time he began using his new cell phone. He did so on or about March 6, which is when he met with Wells.

The NFLPA presented its case during a lengthy appeal on June 23 at the NFL offices. According to reports more than 40 people were at the hearing. There was more than 10 hours of testimony.

While few details of the appeal hearing were leaked, it was expected that the NFLPA's attorneys would attack holes in Wells' report, specifically the lack of evidence tying Brady to any specific wrongdoing, and the union's lawyers would also attack the scientific findings found in Wells' report.

The drama started shortly after the AFC championship game, when a report said the Colts claimed the Patriots were using footballs that were under the 12.5 pounds per square inch (psi) requirement set forth by NFL rules. Many of the Patriots' footballs were found to be under-inflated when the officials inspected them at halftime of that game. In a news conference before the Super Bowl, Brady said he didn't alter the ball in any way.

The NFL tabbed Wells to investigate, and his 243-page report famously and ambiguously said it was "more probable than not" that Brady was "at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of" two Patriots employees, equipment assistant John Jastremski and officials locker room attendant Jim McNally. The report never said specifically what Brady knew or how it figured he was a part of any conspiracy. Brady was suspended four games by the NFL, the Patriots were fined $1 million and were stripped of two draft picks, including a 2016 first-round pick. Brady appealed the suspension, and although the NFLPA objected, Goodell decided he would oversee the appeal and rule on it. On May 19, Patriots owner Robert Kraft accepted the punishment by the NFL, saying it was best for the league as a whole if everyone moved on from deflate-gate.

The entire ordeal has spawned plenty of conversations about Brady's legacy. Brady strengthened his case as the greatest quarterback in NFL history when he won his fourth Super Bowl last season, winning Super Bowl MVP honors after a fantastic fourth-quarter comeback against the Seattle Seahawks' top-ranked defense. When Brady was asked, in his only public comments on the matter immediately after Wells' report was released, if the controversy tainted the Patriots' latest Super Bowl win, he replied, "No, absolutely not."

The Patriots start their Super Bowl defense on Thursday, Sept. 10 at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL's regular-season opener.

]]>Tue, 28 Jul 2015 11:36:20 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,96adf875-f698-3e4e-9594-31aacc0ca18b-l:1Packers swap alternate uniforms, bring back another throwback lookhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/packers-swap-alternate-uniforms--bring-back-another-throwback-look-174131564.html
The 1994 NFL season, celebrated as the 75th season for the league, was awesome for a few reasons, and one of them was that every team wore a throwback uniform for selected games.

One of the best throwback uniforms from that year belonged to the Green Bay Packers. They were the 1937-49 uniforms of the Don Hutson days, with yellow shoulders and the rest was blue. The Packers preferred the Acme Packers style throwback as their third uniform the past few years, with the yellow circle and blue numbers within it, but the Packers are changing it up. The 1940s look is back. They'll wear those uniforms Oct. 18 against San Diego.

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 12: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

I think most people are aware of how great Jamaal Charles is, but it's still fun to examine how incredible he has been.

Charles, who ranked 12th on the NFL Network's top 100 list for this year, is the main reason the Kansas City Chiefs have been a playoff contender and are this high on the countdown. He doesn't get the buzz of Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch, or maybe even Arian Foster, LeSean McCoy or DeMarco Murray, but he's absolutely dominant.

Charles hasn't exactly been running through wide-open lanes created because opponents respect the Chiefs' great passing game. Here's Kansas City's passing ranks each of Charles' seven seasons, counting back from 2014: 29th, 24th, 32nd, 25th, 30th, 25th, 20th. Woof. Charles' 2,266 career receiving yards have boosted those ranks, as well. Yet here's Charles' yards per carry each season, counting backwards: 5.0, 5.0, 5.3, 6.9, 6.4, 5.9, 5.3. Only eight running backs in the history of the NFL have posted a career average of 5 yards or better. Charles has never averaged fewer than five yards per carry over a season, even though he has had practically no help from Kansas City's passing game to loosen things up for him.

Charles averages 5.5 yards per carry through his career. Only Marion Motley, whose career ended 60 years ago, has a better average among all running backs in NFL history. The player trailing Charles in the rankings is far behind him, at 5.2. That would be Jim Brown.

We're seeing a Canton-level career from Charles. But here's something Charles has never accomplished: win a playoff game. He's 0-2. And he needs help to change that.

The Chiefs famously were so meager in the passing game last season that, somehow, they didn't get one touchdown from a wide receiver all year. The last team that could say that was the 1964 Giants. In today's passing league, that's an unbelievable stat.

The Chiefs weren't changing their quarterback or coach, so they signed a legitimate receiver. Jeremy Maclin came over from the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Maclin has 36 touchdowns in five years. The last time a Chiefs receiver scored a regular-season touchdown was a 2-yard bubble screen to Dexter McCluster on Dec. 29, 2013 at San Diego. Maclin will end the streak shortly after the season starts.

So the Chiefs are a little better in the passing game, and outside linebacker Justin Houston is a happy man with his $101 million deal. Are the Chiefs good enough to take the next step? The Chiefs are 20-12 under Reid, though that was bolstered by a 9-0 start in 2013 that was fueled by one of the weakest schedules you'll ever see. They seem like the "good enough" team, good enough to win games and be competitive but not good enough to really be a contender in the AFC.

Maybe a better passing game helps them get over that hump. It would be a shame if Charles starts to fade before he gets a chance to experience postseason glory.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Chiefs were 7-3 and then stumbled down the stretch, including a really bad loss to an 0-10 Raiders team.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? Maclin raises the grade. Safety Tyvon Branch was always a productive player with the Raiders when healthy, as well. They did lose receiver Dwayne Bowe, though he hadn't made much noise for three straight seasons, and the big loss was center Rodney Hudson. Since the Chiefs receivers were so underwhelming last year, the upgrade from Bowe to Maclin alone makes the roster better.

Best offseason acquisition: It's funny, had Maclin gone to a team like the Broncos or Colts, it would be a really nice addition but it wouldn't seem like an enormous deal. But because he signed with a team that was so historically inept at the wideout position, he's viewed as a savior.

Achilles' heel: I'm not sure how many different ways I can explain how the passing game is holding the Chiefs back. Other teams have won big without airing it out the past few years, like the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. But of the bottom 11 teams in passing yards last season, 10 didn't make the playoffs.

Position in flux: We can be positive when it comes to the Maclin addition. Then you look at the rest of the receiving depth chart and you really wonder how the Chiefs passed on all those talented receivers in the 2014 draft for outside linebacker Dee Ford. Or how they didn't draft a receiver with either of their first two picks this year. They did get Chris Conley in the third round, and he's an interesting case. He had a combine for the ages, but he had just one 100-yard game as a senior at Georgia and wasn't even an all-SEC honorable mention pick. If athleticism is what matters most in the NFL, it'll be a good pick. He could be the Chiefs' No. 2 receiver with a good camp, simply because there's not much competition. De'Anthony Thomas, Jason Avant and Albert Wilson are battling to be the second receiver. Yeah.

Ready to break out: if there's a name on that list of competitors for the No. 2 receiver job that could have a nice season, it's probably Wilson. As a rookie last year, the 5-9 Wilson had 12 catches for 209 yards from Week 14-16. The opportunity is there for Wilson to build on that.

Stat fact: The Chiefs were really good against the pass last season. They ranked second in passing yards allowed, tied for third in yards allowed per pass and second in completion percentage allowed. Losing top cornerback Sean Smith to a three-game suspension doesn't help but they do have depth at the position, including first-round pick Marcus Peters.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The Chiefs start at Houston, which isn't easy, then face the Broncos, play at Green Bay and at Cincinnati. Based on 2014 records the Chiefs are tied for the seventh toughest schedule in the NFL. It's really challenging early on.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: There's enough skepticism about the Broncos that the AFC West doesn't seem like a foregone conclusion, and the Chiefs are probably first in line if the Broncos fall. If Jeremy Maclin and tight end Travis Kelce lift the passing game a bit, Charles and Knile Davis give the Chiefs a great 1-2 running punch and the defense led by Houston is good again, the Chiefs can win the division.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: If Charles slips a bit, the offense might go with him. Alex Smith is fine but he's not going to carry a team by himself. The Chiefs are well coached and the defense is solid so it would take a lot of bad luck for them to tumble too far down the standings. But a playoff berth is a reasonable expectation, and another year without a playoff berth might cause Chiefs fans to wonder where the team is really headed with this core.

The crystal ball says: I don't think the Chiefs will knock off the Broncos this year, and the AFC is fairly deep when it comes to the wild-card contenders. I think Kansas City will repeat last season: a winning season and no playoff berth.

]]>Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:04:27 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,27d4ae13-f849-3d81-b59c-9cd5f5d68071-l:1Most intriguing NFL team of 2015? Ranking the storylines of all 32 squadshttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/what-is-the-most-intriguing-nfl-team-right-now--we-rank-them-1-32-134504085.html
This is a highly subjective list. Using my sophisticated OPI (Own Personal Intrigue) method, I carefully have ranked the teams in order of interest and intrigue prior to the 2015 NFL season.

Please note: These are not power rankings. This is not how I think the 2016 NFL draft order will look. Nothing like that.

Intrigue can be both bad and good. My top-ranked team here missed the postseason a year ago; my 32nd-ranked team made it. Hopefully, you get the idea. I’m just speculating which teams will be the most buzzworthy and boast the most fascinating storylines heading into the season. The Washington Redskins, for instance, have mastered the art of bad-team intrigue.

And some might argue that for years, the New England Patriots — even as remarkable as their run has been — are the most boring good team out there. Of course, not this year. Not with deflate-gate and Tom Brady's suspension threatening to rule the first month of the season.

1. Philadelphia Eagles — Chip Kelly: secret genius or mad scientist? This could be the year we find out. He enters Year Three having shuttled off nearly the entire roster he inherited — including many of the Eagles’ highest-regarded players. How are we not intrigued? One of his biggest imports, DeMarco Murray, he shockingly poached from the rival Dallas Cowboys. We will find out this season if Chip’s system — which is more about team building than some gimmicky offensive philosophy — is built to last. If Kelly reincarnates Sam Bradford and fixes that defense, it might be time to give it up, haters. But if Bradford struggles (or struggles to stay healthy), and the ball is put in the hands of Mark Sanchez or — gasp — Tim Tebow, it might be worrisome. You have to wonder, after Kelly missed out on landing Marcus Mariota, if finding a perfect-fit quarterback will forever be Kelly’s Camelot.

2. San Francisco 49ers — The attrition that has ravaged this team might have reached historical levels. After a strange, strained battle with ownership, Jim Harbaugh walked at what looks like precisely the right time. In his wake, the foundation of his steely squad either retired, was shipped out or left via free agency. Thrifty owner Jed York opted to go cheap — under the auspice of trust, dependability and locker-room harmony — in hiring the less-than-lucid Jim Tomsula (one game of head-coaching experience). There are scores of veterans trying to revive their careers — Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, NaVorro Bowman, Vernon Davis, and more. There’s talent, but is there turmoil? The first half of the schedule, by the way, is brutal.

3. Buffalo Bills — Are you excited yet? Maybe you’re not the biggest Rex Ryan fan (you communist!), and maybe you’re laughing at their quarterback options. Fair enough. But maybe Tyrod Taylor — who beat out Russell Wilson for ACC Player of the Year in 2010 — is a secret killer, or at least not a total disaster. And everywhere else there is exciting talent, playing in a city dying to win for a coach who will do anything and everything he can to (a) stick it to the Jets, (b) beat Tom Brady and (c) deliver a winner to some long-suffering fans. The defense could be the league’s best, and there are playmakers littered throughout the offense. There’s something happening here — and some excitable personalities coming to town with Ryan, LeSean McCoy, Richie Incognito and Percy Harvin — and what it is ain't exactly clear.

4. New England Patriots — It has been a wild six months since they beat the Indianapolis Colts, setting the Bad Ship Deflate-gate into motion, stealing a Super Bowl win in mind-blowing fashion and watching Brady get dragged through the mud in the league’s phony and laughable attempt to uphold the integrity of the game. And while everyone knows that what doesn’t kill the Patriots tends to make them stronger, navigating their way back to another Super Bowl appears far tougher, with a stronger division, Brady turning 38 and the Patriots’ huge losses in the secondary. If they do win it all this year, it will be their fifth title. The significance of this: The Patriots would own 10 percent of all the Super Bowl championships. The title also would be Bill Belichick’s seventh, which would tie him all time with former Broncos and 49ers scout/administrator Neal Dahlen for the most in league history.

5. Dallas Cowboys — The Dez Bryant signing removes a smidge of the drama, but it’s still a team we’ll be thinking about almost daily. Last season shocked me — I pegged their defense to be historically bad. And that’s why this season is so intriguing. For the first time, legitimately, the Cowboys are a Super Bowl contender for the first time in forever, and yet they’re missing a huge piece with Murray gone (to the hated Eagles, no less). The guys vying to replace him are a possibly washed-up back in Darren McFadden and a player guilty of shoplifting underwear and cologne last year in Joseph Randle. Randy Gregory and La’el Collins also will be fun to chart as high-profile rookies looking to make a lot of teams wish they hadn't passed them over in the draft.

6. Seattle Seahawks — Russell Wilson’s contract looms as one of the more fascinating negotiations in recent NFL history, textured by the fact that he’s coming off the haunting Super Bowl interception. His gift: a Marshawn Lynch contract extension and trades for receiving help in Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett. But Michael Bennett could hold out? And Earl Thomas will miss all of camp? Intrigue! In a certain way, these are the same Seahawks we’ve come to know, so there’s a ceiling to it, and there’s no reason to think they can’t get back to a third straight Super Bowl. But we’ll always be paying attention to what this outlaw bunch is doing and saying.

7. Minnesota Vikings — Everything points toward a bigger season, maybe even a special one. Adrian Peterson, awkwardly or not, is back. Teddy Bridgewater showed he can be the guy down the stretch. Is this Teddy’s team now? That’s fascinating. Mike Zimmer has to love what he has here, including the makings of a top 10 (maybe even a top five) defense. The division is tough, and the Green Bay Packers remain the better team until further notice. But the Vikings could announce their presence this season.

8. Green Bay Packers — If you’re the Super Bowl favorites, as some Vegas houses have them, you likely have an automatic landing spot in the top 10. If you bow out of the playoffs in a spectacular collapse, you get bumped up a notch as we try to figure out how they’ll respond to that loss in Seattle. Beyond that, it’s not the wildest bunch of webelos we’ve ever seen, but they put up points in spectacular and prolific fashion and have the best quarterback in the game. The OPI is not off the charts, but it’s buzzing. Mike McCarthy giving up play calling is something we’re watching closely.

9. New York Giants — No team has had a weirder offseason, or a tougher one injury-wise. The odd mystery of Jason Pierre-Paul blowing a finger off in a fireworks mishap has been the NFL’s strangest offseason story. Left tackle William Beatty tore his pec lifting. Odell Beckham Jr.’s hammy has been barking for months. Victor Cruz is still sidelined. And there’s a lot at stake. Eli Manning’s contract runs out after this season. Tom Coughlin has parried off retirement talk, but for how long? This could be one of those flashpoint seasons for the franchise.

10. Denver Broncos — Peyton Manning might be finished, in that he’s washed up as a player, or he might be finished in that he’s still pretty darned good but that this could be his swan song season. That alone will keep us tuned in, especially with all his weapons, and realistically the defense could be spectacular under the watch of Wade Phillips. What else do we have? Gary Kubiak’s return to Denver, Von Miller heading into free agency, a potentially crummy offensive line and C.J. Anderson looking to build off last season’s breakout. It’s interesting, but perhaps not thrilling.

11. New Orleans Saints — Something tells me this team is going to get its mojo back. Even if Rob Ryan pledges to have his defense speak more softly and yet carry bigger sticks than it did during a miserable 2014 effort, something says that dam will break some time before the opener against the Arizona Cardinals — even with the release of the caustic Junior Galette. Drew Brees’ decline has been greatly exaggerated, and yet the story of how that offense — no Graham, no Kenny Stills — will evolve is pretty darned interesting. The Saints will look different in 2015, and they could be more fun again.

tie-12.Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Tennessee Titans — It’s a copout, yes, to pair up these rookie-quarterback-driven rebuilding projects. But as intrigued as we might be to follow the different styles and skills of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, the first and second picks of the draft, respectively, the truth of the matter is that both of their teams largely stink until proven otherwise. Still, we’ve seen the power of a young QB injecting life into listless teams in recent years, so there’s always the hope of that happening in Tampa and Nashville. They’re a lot more intriguing than they were four months ago. Oh, and they face off in Tampa in Week 1. How convenient.

14. Kansas City Chiefs — I realize they don’t move the needle for many who brand them the BORING MIDWEST TEAM or for those choose to invoke the ALEX SMITH STINKS privilege, but I see something here. I see Justin Houston chasing a sack record. I see Jamaal Charles, fourth all-time in yards per rush (ahead of Jim Brown). I see Andy Reid averaging 10 wins the past two seasons after taking over a garbage roster. I see a defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL and a team that beat both Super Bowl teams last year. I see 20-plus free agents next year. I see a team that will exceed expectations and possibly make a deep playoff run if the offensive line can jell. I’m sorry not everyone can see it.

15. Houston Texans — Are they fool’s gold on the OPI scale? Hard Knocks could give us an indication, but their milquetoast quarterback group is a good reason to keep them right in this range. Even if Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallett are not terrible, they’re just not that exciting. Bill O’Brien is a pretty interesting coach, and we know J.J. Watt is a mover and shaker. Can Watt and Vince Wilfork push Jadeveon Clowney if he’s healthy? That will be fascinating to watch. Arian Foster is interesting, for better or worse. That’s about it. They look like a pretty good team without a ton to lose our minds about.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers — Mike Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2010 season, but he will be paid upwards of $7 million per year in his new contract to end that streak this season. After two 8-8 seasons and a first-round postseason loss to the hated Ravens, the Steelers are seeking bigger and better. The season opener against the Patriots will be a heater, even with Le’Veon Bell missing it and the next two. The offense looks like a revved-up sports car while the defense is more jalopy than gem at this point, but there’s room for growth. New coordinator Keith Butler is in the spotlight after replacing institution Dick LeBeau, his longtime boss.

17. Miami Dolphins — This is a team whose coach needs to win badly. Despite a one-year extension this offseason, it’s win-or-bust for Joe Philbin with the team having added Ndamukong Suh, a whole new group of pass catchers (DeVante Parker, Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and Jordan Cameron) and possessing enough young talent to make a run at the Patriots. Most of the key position battles are inside on the offensive line — not sexy but important nonetheless — and the infrastructure is strong. Can Philbin and Ryan Tannehill take the next step? That’s the prevailing theme, and it’s a pretty big one.

18. Arizona Cardinals — Bruce Arians is the best. Carson Palmer is coming back; the Cardinals were great last season with him, and pretty bad without him. They’ve beefed up their offensive line. The defense looks pretty good, even without Todd Bowles, as Sean Weatherspoon adds some howl. Anything I’m missing here? Larry Fitzgerald is being phased out, but it’s happening in an amicable, respectful way. He still has something in the tank. Rookie runner David Johnson is one to watch. There’s just not a ton of buzz for this team, but we suspect Arians is fine with that.

19. Washington Redskins — The Robert Griffin III mystery looms, and he’ll get every chance to summon his 2012 self again as the starting quarterback whose 2016 option has been picked up. Last season’s drama centered around Griffin and head coach Jay Gruden and the apparent disconnect between Gruden and the front office over Griffin. That rolls over into this season with answers needed. The defense, including the coaching, received a semi-overhaul, and there are a few other developments worth charting. But the excitement and intrigue level has a real limit here.

20. Atlanta Falcons — A year from now, I predict they’ll be higher. Dan Quinn has the earmarks of a fearless leader, and he’ll continue to forge his brand on this team over time. Julio Jones is in a contract year and could go nuclear if he plays a full season, but Matt Ryan is the most vanilla 4,700-yard passer money can buy. Roddy White might be heading into his final season in Atlanta. The defense will be tightened, and rookie Vic Beasley adds excitement, but it’s far from a great unit yet. The O-line still looks like garbage. This is a slow boil, and I’m not quite ready to throw my pasta in this unsalted water, if that makes sense.

21. Baltimore Ravens — This is where it gets tricky. I believe the Ravens are one of the favorites to make a deep run in what appears to be an open AFC field. They have that same Ravens swagger, and time has yet to mellow the always watchable Terrell Suggs and Steve Smith. Any Joe Flacco-quarterbacked team has a cap on its sex appeal, even if the man has one of the best postseason track records going. The Ravens are well-coached, they always seem to bounce back from personnel losses and you have to assume they’ll be strong contenders again. It just might be one of the less intriguing Ravens teams in a few years on some level. Who starts opposite Smith at receiver? That’s worth debating and tracking. The changes on offense (including coordinator Marc Trestman) are intriguing.

22. Indianapolis Colts — Frank Gore might be one of those tremendous short-term investments that changes the profile of a team, aiding a lagging run game and adding some much-needed grit. Andrew Luck has been great, but is he in that elite group? Overrated debate, in my opinion, but Luck has an incredible array of weapons entering his fourth season. Is it a Super Bowl-or-bust season? I don’t think so. But we’re getting close. The offensive line and defense, problems at times last season, remain questions. Also of note: Chuck Pagano is in the final year of his deal, but not too many people outside Indy are talking about it.

23. New York Jets — Look, we’re excited about Darrelle Revis’ return and the revamping of a talented defense. We’re also still hopeful about Geno Smith breaking out, and new head coach Todd Bowles has a very interesting albeit incomplete team to help rebuild with. The four-game suspension for Sheldon Richardson stings. There are holes on the roster, and the Jets have the ability to beat the Patriots once head to head this season. But let’s cap our enthusiasm just a bit with a few too many unknowns. Next year could be very interesting, however.

24. San Diego Chargers — What is wrong with me exactly? This is a team whose franchise quarterback and defensive linchpin are heading into the final years of their respective deals … its future Hall of Fame tight end has had his spotless image tarnished with a four-game suspension … whose first-round running back averaged nearly eight yards per carry last season in college and who could be the missing ingredient … and, oh yeah, whose team could relocate to Los Angeles after this season. I know I should be more fascinated by this team. I just … am not. I’ll take the blame on this one.

25. St. Louis Rams — Same kind of deal. No team that traded for a new quarterback, drafted Todd Gurley and has five (!) rookie offensive linemen should be this low, much less one with arguably the best front four in football. Throw in the fact that there's a new starting quarterback and that the Rams could be skating for L.A. in six months, and you'd think there's a lot to talk about. There is. But I'm not getting swept up yet in Rams Mania. Maybe I will when I visit training camp next week. They probably deserve to be a bit higher. But like the state's motto — Show Me — I need to see it to believe it.

26. Cleveland Browns — A year ago, they might have been in the top four or five. This season? I’m kind of over the hype a bit. Johnny Manziel has gone from whiskey rock-a-roller to milquetoast backup for Josh McCown, the former high-school teacher and coach. The Terrelle Pryor stuff is a bit overblown until proven otherwise. The defense has some former first-rounders (Justin Gilbert and Barkevious Mingo) who must step up. Mike Pettine appears to be a good coach, and the Browns might pull and upset or three this season. But I’m hedging my bets on the thrill factor here.

27. Jacksonville Jaguars — I was one of those silly saps who double-fisted on the Jaguars Juice a year ago, and I ended up swallowing pretty hard on what clearly was yet another rebuild season. More of the same, even though the excitement level at least has reached a bit of a simmer. This team might sneak up on a few folks, Blake Bortles has a lot more to work with and Allen Robinson might be a breakout star. But the Dante Fowler Jr. injury was a crushing early blow, and there still are a bunch of shortcomings here. Gus Bradley isn’t on the hot seat — not yet.

28. Oakland Raiders — I’ll go on record to say I think Amari Cooper could be a 90-catch rookie. The early returns have been thrilling, and he’s clearly Derek Carr’s best hope. Young QB-WR combos are exciting to watch, and Khalil Mack is embarking on what could be a special career. New head coach Jack Del Rio is better than most people realize, and I have hope for the future amid the cloudiness of the franchise’s eventual location. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, folks.

29. Carolina Panthers — I seriously don’t know what to do with this team. On the one hand, they have a uniquely skilled quarterback and a defense that is championship-grade. On the other, they just don’t thrill me — especially now that Cam Newton’s deal is done. At this point, we simply ask: can he live up to it? The team’s strange draft haul and flat-line free-agent additions don’t move us much. We think Ron Rivera is churning out more of what he has had the past few seasons: a competitive, gritty team that won’t thrill the TV networks. Just sayin’ …

30. Detroit Lions — Losing Suh and Nick Fairley hurts, and adding Haloti Ngata (for what could be a one-season rental) doesn’t tickle our toes much. Matthew Stafford endures the long-running can-he-do-more questions, and even with excitement (Calvin Johnson returning to health), hope (Eric Ebron emerging) and options at running back (another three-headed attack), we’re underwhelmed by the offensive line. Jim Caldwell is a natural sedative for a team, and even coming off a strong first season at the helm, we expect a small step back and limited intrigue in a tough division.

31. Chicago Bears — It’s not as if there are not things to talk about here. New head coach and GM. A defense in need of life support. Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte possibly heading to free agency next year. The scourge of Jay Cutler. But knowing there’s a darned good chance they could get in an early hole with a tough schedule and finish fourth doesn’t exactly leave us breathless here. The most telling part of the season could be in the latter half when we see what John Fox’s longer-term intentions are.

32. Cincinnati Bengals — The song remains the same … can Andy Dalton win a playoff game? Some might be intrigued by this hamster wheel, or by the ooh, snap Dalton was booed at a celebrity softball game element of it all. But really, he’s not a lot different (and in some ways better) from Carson Palmer in his first four seasons starting:

QB

Comp.

Att.

Comp. %

Yards

Yards/att.

TD

INT

Team record

Playoff appearances

Money earned through first 4 seasons starting

Carson Palmer

1,305

2,036

64.1%

14,899

7.32

104

63

32-29 (61 starts)

1 (0-1 record)

$49.63 million

Andy Dalton

1,311

2,111

62.1%

14,758

6.99

99

66

40-23-1 (64 starts)

4 (0-4 record)

$22.2 million

Throw in “Melba” Marvin Lewis, and even with his ability to walk between the raindrops, it’s a pass for me. The Bengals look like a really strong team — outside of QB — to me. Almost no holes. And almost no excitement or intrigue, either.

"I've got the greatest job in the world, man," Watt said at the event. "I get to come out here and play a game every day and I get to do stuff like this. I mean, I realize how fortunate I am to be in the situation I'm in and I realize that someday, it's all going to end. I don't know why, but this year, I realized it more than ever, the fact that someday, this is all going to be over and someday, I'm not going to have all these great opportunities that I have, so I'm just trying to take advantage of everything I can and enjoy every moment I can."

The Arizona Cardinals have hired Jen Welter, who is believed to be the first woman to hold an NFL coaching position of any kind, as a training camp/preseason intern working with the team's inside linebackers.

Head coach Bruce Arians was asked at the owners meetings in March about the possibility of female coaches in the NFL, and his response foretold this move:

“The minute they can prove they can make a player better, they’ll be hired,” Arians said.

Soon after that, he heard from a coach with the Texas Revolution in the Indoor Football League who told him about Welter, the former collegiate rugby player who played 14 seasons of pro football, mostly in the Women’s Football Alliance, and who was with the Revolution.

Arians was more than happy to give her a chance.

“Coaching is nothing more than teaching,” Arians said, per the team's official website. “One thing I have learned from players is, ‘How are you going to make me better? If you can make me better, I don’t care if you’re the Green Hornet, man, I’ll listen.’ I really believe she’ll have a great opportunity with this internship through training camp to open some doors for her.”

Notice the "Dr." part? Yes, Welter is a heavyweight, it turns out. She has a master’s degree in sport psychology and a PhD in psychology. Welter also was the first female to play a non-kicking position in a men’s pro football league, spending time at running back and on special teams, for the Revolution in 2014.

This is a meritorius move, Arians said, not a publicity grab.

Arians said: “She came for an OTA and I met her, and I thought she was the type of person that could handle this in a very positive way for women and open that door,” adding that Cardinals veterans said “they were all very cool with it.”

“It’s not going to be a distraction in any way,” Arians said.

To anyone saying, "Well, she's only an intern ..." Please note: These are tough jobs to land. Not every team brings in training camp coaches/interns, and there are no more than 500 full-time coaching jobs in the entire NFL. It's exclusive company, and Welter has put herself there with her work and talent. Arians is one of the most bottom-line coaches in the NFL, but he's also a progressive thinker. Those two qualities married in this historic move.

It has been a banner year for women in men's professional sports. Not only is the NFL bringing on its first full-time female official in Sarah Thomas this season, but an NBA team — the San Antonio Spurs — won a summer league championship with Becky Hammon, whom they hired last year, running the squad.

]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2015 18:11:12 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,8c4e86d4-6a84-32f3-b700-90c5a8e76cea-l:1Seau family not happy Hall of Fame preventing Sydney from speakinghttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/seau-family-statement--not-happy-hall-of-fame-preventing-sydney-from-speaking-003113085.html
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is not allowing the family of deceased linebacker Junior Seau speak on his behalf at the induction ceremony on August 8 in Canton, Ohio, and — despite an earlier report to the contrary — the family is not happy about it.

Seau's wish was that his daughter, Sydney, would speak for him upon his induction. But the Hall is falling back on a process they instituted back in 2010, shortening the ceremony by not allowing a formal speaker for deceased inductees.

Steve Strauss, legal counsel to the Seau family and partner at Cooley LLP, issued a statement on the family's behalf — and it's clear they are not thrilled with how things stand:

"The Seau family appreciates the overwhelming support for Sydney Seau to be able to accept Junior’s induction into the Hall of Fame live and in her own words. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame is unwilling to reverse its decision despite communicating to the family earlier this year that Sydney would be able to speak at the ceremony. Contrary to the most recent statement by the Hall of Fame, the family does not support the current policy that prevents family members from delivering live remarks on behalf of deceased inductees. However, the Seau family does not want this issue to become a distraction to Junior’s accomplishments and legacy or those of the other inductees. The Seau family never intended to use the Hall of Fame as a platform to discuss the serious mental health issues facing the NFL today which are most appropriately addressed in a legal forum. The Seau family looks forward to celebrating Junior’s extraordinary accomplishments at the Hall of Fame."

Although there might be future legal ramifications for issuing such a statement, the immediate point is clear: The Seau family is not happy after — Strauss alleges — the Hall said Sydney could speak on her father's behalf and then reneging.

The NFL has botched this thing completely. All the league has done has drawn attention to the fact that Seau, who shot and killed himself, had CTE — likely the result of a concussion-addled NFL career. Had they allowed Sydney to speak, thus eliminating a dumb rule in the first place, none of this would have been taken this far.

It's almost impossible to quantify what Russell Wilson's monetary worth is, vis a vis the Seattle Seahawks' salary cap. And that has stopped absolutely nobody from debating it.

With every figure that is tossed out there's a debate. People enjoy discussing it nearly as much as they like arguing about deflated footballs. The latest number is about $21 million per year, which Pro Football Talk said Wilson was offered and didn't accept. That leads to more parsing of the figures with arbitrary numbers: I think he's just worth $18 million, $19 million is a little high and I'd never go to $21 million! It turns into a game show.

There's a soft deadline of July 30, NFL Network said, after which negotiations will stop and Wilson will go on his way and play for about $1.5 million this year. That's a meaningless deadline, because if the Seahawks offered Wilson $25 million a year on July 31 I'm sure he wouldn't point to the deadline and turn it down. But it gives some made-up urgency to the matter.

So let's play along. How much is Wilson worth? It's complicated because you can make the argument he's not the foundation of the Seahawks' success (that's the defense) and he's not the MVP of the offense (Marshawn Lynch). He's a very good player but the Seahawks don't live and die with him. He was terrible for most of the NFC championship game, and the Seahawks won that game. His first completion in the Super Bowl against the Patriots came with about 5:30 left in the second quarter, and the Seahawks were 1 yard from winning that game. If Aaron Rodgers plays that poorly, the Green Bay Packers don't stand a chance (insert a few other quarterback/team combinations in that sentence, if you wish).

But Wilson shouldn't be downgraded simply because he attempts just 26 passes per game in his career or that he was drafted to a great team. Wilson's career passer rating of 98.6 would be second in NFL history to Rodgers if he had the 1,500 career attempts to qualify. That doesn't include 1,877 rushing yards. He has been a very good player.

So where do you slot him in? Here are the top 10 quarterbacks, via Spotrac, in terms of average annual salary:

Of course it's not perfect to judge off those numbers, because all NFL contracts are different, especially with how much unrealistic non-guaranteed money is tacked on the end. But based on the list, you can argue Wilson deserves more than Newton, but I'm not sure I'm willing to give him more than Brees. I'd definitely put him above Tannehill and Kaepernick, however. So let's say $20 million.

And you know what? That exercise doesn't matter in the slightest.

If Wilson is willing to wait it out, it doesn't matter if the Seahawks think he's worth $20 million but he's asking for $22 million. The debate about how much Wilson is worth is rather pointless because he's worth what some team is willing to pay, and I'd bet that if the Rams, Texans, Bills or whoever can clear the decks, Wilson would get that $22 million or more on the open market. So that's his worth. It's almost unprecedented for a quarterback like Wilson to hit the market and there would be a tremendous battle for him.

So the Seahawks can be proud and say they stood firm and didn't give Wilson a dime more than he's worth ... and if they stuck to that they'd lose their quarterback. Right.

Of course, the Seahawks could play the franchise tag game with Wilson, though that is still a massive salary-cap hit. The Seahawks would almost be forced to give him the exclusive tender, or risk a team willing to give up two first-round picks if Seattle doesn't match the offer sheet (and some team would, and should, do that). The franchise tag escalators will make it practically impossible for the Seahawks to tag Wilson more than twice, so they'd still be losing him in his prime. Then we'd just go back to having this same debate of Wilson's value in two or three years. And no matter how long the Seahawks drag it out there's always going to be some team that would fall over itself to get a top-10 quarterback and Super Bowl champion who is still in his peak years.

So will it matter if Wilson is worth $19 million or $21 million or $23 million? Only if the Seahawks have the conviction to tell Wilson to walk rather than pay him what he wants. That has never happened with a good quarterback in his prime unless that team has a backup plan in place, which Seattle does not. The debate is also rendered meaningless if Wilson gives in. And he might rather have the long-term security of a big deal right now, once he considers his $1.5 million salary vs. the $50 million or $60 million guaranteed he could get for signing today.

If Wilson doesn't blink, I wonder if the Seahawks will. Most organizations just give in and hand over an immediately regrettable quarterback contract even if it's to a proven mediocre option at the position, like the Chicago Bears did with Jay Cutler. The Seahawks seem to be a little more forward thinking than that, though it's a different situation because Wilson is far from mediocre. But Seattle's brass has more than enough clout and security if it wanted to make a bold move like not paying Wilson more than they believe he's worth.

But again, that might mean losing their quarterback. Wilson's specific worth might not matter so much then.

]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2015 13:26:09 PDTFrank SchwabnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,fc54e776-dcf1-3d2c-82b2-deb9669e1cac-l:1Panthers offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, of bullying scandal fame, retiringhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/panthers-offensive-lineman-jonathan-martin--of-bullying-scandal-fame--retiring-190757503.html
The alleged victim in the bizarre Miami Dolphins hazing scandal from a few years ago has decided to retire. But it has nothing to do with that.

Jonathan Martin, who was claimed by the Carolina Panthers this offseason after a one-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, is walking away from football according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

Back injuries are no laughing matter, so Martin's decision is understandable. He never found his form in the league as the 42nd overall pick (second round) by the Dolphins in 2012. Martin, 25, started 16 games as a rookie and seven more in 2013 for the Dolphins before finding himself embroiled in a scandal that centered around former teammate Richie Incognito.

An NFL investigation was launched into what became a national story that far surpassed football and the subject of bullying when it was found that Incognito and other teammates (perhaps egged on by then-OL coach Jim Turner) harassed Martin and ostracized him from the locker room.

Independent investigator Ted Wells (he of the Tom Brady/deflate-gate fame now) wrote a 144-page report that, in hindsight, may have unintentionally hurt Martin's reputation in league circles — fairly or not — as it did that of Incognito, who is projected to be a starting guard for the Buffalo Bills this season after sitting out the past season after being suspended by the Dolphins.

Martin was traded to the 49ers prior to last season, where he played for his former coach at Stanford, Jim Harbaugh, as a low-risk investment. But Martin struggled last season as a replacement starter (nine games) and was waived this offseason.

Although he was expected to compete for a job with the depth-riddled Panthers, Martin opted to step aside amid serious injury concerns. But even with the injury, scouts who spoke to Martin before the 2012 draft did openly wonder how much he truly loved the game. The answer to that question might be: not enough to risk potentially serious long-term effects.

]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:07:56 PDTEric EdholmnflShutdown Cornerurn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f310d825-737e-3f4b-930b-c98054b35a67-l:1Jacksonville Sharks' TD celebration inspired by The Rock was AWESOMEhttp://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/jacksonville-sharks--td-celebration-inspired-by-the-rock-was-awesome-162409508.html
I've seen it all now. It's over. The Jacksonville Sharks mimicking The Rock's "People's Elbow" finishing move as a touchdown celebration has set a bar for celebrations so high that it'll never be topped.

The Sharks, Jacksonville's Arena Football League team, scored a touchdown and ... ah, just watch:

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes.

Tiger Jones is the receiver who caught the touchdown and turned into The Rock for the celebration, Moqut Ruffins is the lineman who played along and London Crawford is the one who came in for the pin.

“This is why we call the AFL the All Fun League,” Sharks operating manager Jeff Bouchy told the team's site. “Tiger and his teammates have set a new bar for creative celebrations, and the team is fired up to be recognized by The Rock himself. ‘The People’s Team’ has a nice ring to it. It would be great if we can get The People’s Champion to Jacksonville to see The People’s Team. Can you smell what the Sharks are cookin’?”

I'm not one who ever minded touchdown celebrations. Sports are entertainment, so go ahead and entertain away. The NFL needs to bring this stuff back. This was absolutely hilarious. Love it.

The Sharks are 9-7, have clinched an AFL playoff berth, and from the looks of their Twitter feed, these guys have a lot of fun, including the "Human Torture Rack" celebration that shows these dudes really are into their wrestling finishing moves:

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per day in reverse order of our initial 2015 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 8, the day before the preseason begins with the Hall of Fame Game in Canton.

NO. 13: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Mention Chip Kelly to an NFL fan and you're likely to get an instant and emotional reaction. He's just one of those guys.

Some like him, others despise him. I'm not sure why anyone hates Kelly, other than the NFL is an insanely conservative league and anything out of the norm bothers people. And Kelly isn't the NFL norm.

Kelly was way out of the box when he was hired to be Philadelphia Eagles head coach. He had no NFL experience, playing or coaching, and was just seven years removed from the best job on his résumé being New Hampshire's offensive coordinator. He was known for a spread offense that was exclusive to college. The NFL had never made a hire like it before.

And, if you remove all the hype that has built up around Kelly, the hire has worked up to this point.

Kelly turned a four-win team into a 10-win division champ his first year. Last season he won 10 games despite using his backup quarterback most of the season. I'm not sure why that gets glossed over. If another coach won 10 games with his backup, we'd fall over ourselves to hand him coach of the year. It probably says something about Kelly that what he did last season barely registered.

But things can get tricky once coaches get full front-office control. And in a flurry of moves this offseason Kelly changed the narrative. He went from an innovative coach who has introduced many new concepts to the NFL, on and off the field, to a transaction-happy mad man who appears to hate the concept of star players.

The Eagles traded running back LeSean McCoy, didn't retain receiver Jeremy Maclin in free agency and cut guard Evan Mathis. Add in DeSean Jackson's release in 2014 and the Eagles have lost a lot of difference makers on offense. Then there was the Nick Foles for Sam Bradford trade, which I still don't get. And there was the whole "I won't mortgage the future for Marcus Mariota ... but now there's a report I'm offering half the franchise for him" drama before the draft. It has been quite the offseason.

The Eagles have turned into the NFL's great experiment. Will DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews be upgrades over McCoy? Can Kelly get out of Bradford what the Rams never got, if he can keep him healthy? Does Kelly's system make up for some big offensive personnel losses? In many ways, if Kelly continues to be successful, it will force the NFL to rethink how it does things, although the league generally hates change.

This is a hard team to project. There has been so much change. Putting the Eagles this high in the rankings is a nod to Kelly winning 20 of his 32 games with Michael Vick, Foles and Mark Sanchez as his quarterbacks. He knows how to coach. You need talent to win in the NFL, and the Eagles have lost so much of it as Kelly completely turns over his roster. And, to be fair, the Eagles have added some talented players too.

If nothing else, after this crazy offseason, Kelly has everyone's attention.

2014 review in less than 25 words: The Eagles became the 22nd team under the 16-game schedule to win at least 10 games and miss the playoffs.

Is the roster better, worse or about the same? Well, we know it's different. Do the additions of Bradford, Murray, Mathews, linebacker Kiko Alonso, cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond (and a draft class that includes USC receiver Nelson Agholor in the first round) offset the losses of McCoy, Foles, Maclin, Mathis, guard Todd Herremans, cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams, and pass rusher Trent Cole? It's probably a cop out, but it's too hard to tell without knowing Bradford's health, and Alonso's too for that matter. Assuming they're fairly healthy, call it a wash — the roster is probably about the same, talent wise. Just much, much different.

Best offseason acquisition: I'm not a Bradford fan. Some folks still love him. If you do, he's your pick here. Maxwell was a nice addition. But I'll go with Murray, who hasn't gotten enough credit for what he did last season. The Cowboys built a 12-4 team around him. His high-volume season helped the defense and Tony Romo. Clearly Kelly thinks Murray is a better fit than McCoy. As long as his 497-touch 2014 season, counting regular season and playoffs, doesn't have a lasing effect, Murray will have another big year.

Achilles' heel: A big question with Kelly's preferred pace is if his defense can hold up over the long haul. The Eagles' defense led the league in plays in 2013 and was second in 2014 (the Cleveland Browns, somehow, faced five more plays than the Eagles). Maybe some new talent helps the defense get off the field at a better clip — I think Alonso is a difference maker and Maxwell was a perfect fit — but there will always be the challenge of keeping the defense fresh despite being on the field for a ton of plays. That's also a big part of the great Kelly experiment.

Position in flux: If you trade a second-round pick and a quarterback one year removed from a Pro Bowl for another quarterback, your new quarterback should be the least of your concerns. But this is a unique situation because of Bradford's health. Bradford tore his ACL, returned for 21 preseason attempts and then tore it again. He was held out of full-team drills in OTAs but NJ.com said he'll be ready for the start of training camp, a little less than a year removed from his second ACL surgery. Bradford has had major injury issues through the years and until he shows he's healthy, Sanchez should be on high alert.

Ready to break out: In the video for this post I mentioned that tight end Zach Ertz will be a centerpiece of the Eagles' passing game, but I don't want to sell Jordan Matthews short. He played in just 779 of the Eagles' 1,127 offensive snaps as a rookie but put up a 67-872-8 line. He has no choice but to play more this season, and his numbers should rise accordingly. Even if Agholor is good right away, Matthews will be the team's top wideout.

Stat fact: Over 1,760 career passing attempts, Bradford has a 79.3 rating. Recently retired Jake Locker, commonly dismissed as a bust, had a 79.0 rating. Foles, by the way, has a 94.2 career rating.

Schedule degree of difficulty: The first four weeks are interesting. There are three road games in that stretch, but they're all winnable: at Atlanta, at the New York Jets and at Washington. Then the Eagles get paid back in December with a three-game homestand that includes Buffalo, Arizona and Washington.

This team’s best-case scenario for the 2015 season: Double-digit wins and an NFC East championship are very reasonable goals. And if everything breaks right — Bradford plays as well as his defenders say he can, Murray shows no wear from his 2014 workload, the young receivers dominate and the new blood at cornerback turns around the defense — why can't they win the NFC? I'm not saying I'd pick it to happen, but I don't think it's impossible.

And here’s the nightmare scenario: What if Bradford just isn't very good? Then the Eagles gave up Foles and a second-round pick for what, one year of mediocre quarterback play? If Murray slows down and Mathews can't stay healthy behind him, even Kelly's offensive acumen might not save them. The Eagles might not be a defensive juggernaut either. If things go bad and the Eagles slip under .500, you know folks will be lining up to tee off on Kelly.

The crystal ball says: This is such a tough team to project because of all the turnover. I really think Kelly is a good coach, though like everyone else, I didn't understand many of his moves this offseason. Despite all the questions about Bradford and concerns about the talent drain at receiver, at this point I'm still projecting the Eagles to make the playoffs. The defense will improve, they'll be really hard to stop in the running game, and at this point there's no reason Kelly can't help any quarterback put up good numbers.